Istanbul Bilgi University Child Studies Unit (ÇOÇA) organized a panel titled “Thinking about the Well-being of the Child in the Age of Multiple Crises” in the run-up to International Children’s Rights Day on November 20. Prof. Dr. Pınar Uyan Semerci, Prof. Dr. Emre Erdoğan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Başak Akkan and ÇOÇA Coordinator Gözde Durmuş took the floor at the panel held at santralistanbul Campus.
“Being a Child in the Era of Crises: Rethinking the Well-being of Children in Türkiye After the Pandemic”, the rights and needs of children in today’s multiple crisis environments such as wars, climate crisis, pandemics and disasters, economic crisis and migrations were discussed. During the panel where the stages of the project were introduced, the website containing comprehensive information and publications in this field was also introduced. http://cocuguniyiolmahali.bilgi.org.tr/
Stating that different crises today develop in a pattern and for this reason, the process is called the concept of multiple crises, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Başak Akkan said: “Especially when we look at the context of child well-being, we see that crises are not experienced in the same way by all social groups. For more vulnerable groups experiencing inequality, crises can become a continuity, a way of life. Situations such as children’s class, gender, whether they are disabled or not can also determine the way they experience the crisis. Crises highlight structural inequalities and power imbalances. We focused on a comprehensive study to address the situation of children, especially in the context of intersectional inequalities.”
‘Children cannot imagine the future’
Prof. Dr. Pınar Uyan Semerci said: “It is vital to address the situation of children, who are among the most vulnerable groups, in an environment of multiple crises with severe effects of wars, climate crisis, natural and unnatural disasters. Both the present and the future of children are under threat. We need to evaluate the uncertainty environment we are in by putting the needs and rights of children at the center.”
Stating that they observed a serious decrease in children’s life satisfaction in two studies they conducted during the pandemic period, Uyan Semerci said, “The loss of future imagination and children’s inability to think about the future are among the most important findings in our research. It is a very serious problem that children have difficulty imagining the future, including the question of what they will be when they grow up. We also see that children’s anxiety levels increase and that they live in a cloud of anxiety not only for themselves but also for their loved ones.”
Prof. Dr. Emre Erdoğan, who examined academic production sources, stated that there has been an increase in academic studies on crisis and childhood in the world with the pandemic. Erdoğan said, “We see that studies on this subject are mostly conducted in developed northern countries and focus on these countries. However, those most affected by crises live in the developing regions of the world. This prevents us from understanding the real level of vulnerability, especially for children.”
‘The crises we are experiencing are child rights crises’
BİLGİ Child Studies Unit Coordinator Gözde Durmuş stated that as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which was adopted on November 20, 1989, enters its 34th year, wars, climate crisis, pandemic and earthquakes threaten children’s access to all rights, especially the right to life. Durmuş said, “We need to address all these crises as a child rights crisis, because all of these crises deeply affect children. We share this world together and we have to look at it from a child rights perspective. This is an obligation because the principle of the best interest of the child tells us this. ” he said.
You can watch the panel on Youtube.