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Summary: No rights can be used effectively unless there are sanctions and states have to protect children against any abuse and ensure that at least certain rights of the child are guarded, Turkey’s chief of Supreme Court of Appeals, Hasan Gerçeker has said.
[ISTANBUL, 19 April 2011] - An international court for children’s rights should be established in order to set up international standards on the protection of the rights of the child, according to Turkey’s chief of Supreme Court of Appeals, Hasan Gerçeker. “The protection of children’s rights is not just a national matter, but rather a concern for all nations. The protection the rights of the children at the international arena is crucial,” Gerçeker said Tuesday at the second International Colloquium on Legislation and Children, organized by Istanbul Kültür University’s criminal Law Center, or CEHAMER, on April 18-21. No rights can be used effectively unless there are sanctions and states have to protect children against any abuse and ensure that at least certain rights of the child are guarded, according to Gerçeker. Gerçeker also said all layers of Turkish society had to be concerned on protection of human rights. “Children rights must not remain on paper,” he said, adding that any legal regulations children were subject to had to particularly be protected. “There must be positive discrimination for their protection.” There has been a wide debate in Turkey regarding punishment through castration for adults who sexually abuse children. Gerçeker said the sanctions implemented had to be compatible with human dignity. “Convicted criminals should be punished, but sanctions insulting the individual should not be on the agenda,” in modern democracies this was unthinkable. However, not everything can be fixed through rules and legislation, said Gerçeker. “People’s mentality [in this regard] must also change.” Academics and judges from Turkey, India and Germany will participate in the international colloquium to discuss issues, such as problems children face in divorce cases, legal provisions regarding children pushed to commit terror crimes, as well as the situation of child victims of sexual crimes. The event will be held in the week of April 23, which marks the National Sovereignty and Children’s Day. Further Information:
pdf: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=international-children-rights-c...