Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç SoyerWithin the scope of 's child-oriented city target, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality started a child-priority period in public transportation vehicles on 20 November, World Children's Rights Day. Children whose right to travel by sitting in public transport is violated can now travel sitting down with the application of “child seat”. Children and parents gave full support to the application.
İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Social Projects Department, Child Municipality Branch Directorate, signed an exemplary application. In order to make children's rights visible in all areas of life, on 20 November World Children's Rights Day, the “child seat” application was launched for the safe transportation of children in public transport. Labels with the words “This Seat is Reserved for Children for Their Safety, Health and Rights” were affixed to the seats reserved for children in public transportation vehicles in İzmir. With the application, it is aimed to draw attention to the right of children who have difficulty standing on moving floors to travel by sitting in public transport, to ensure that children travel safely and to create social awareness.
“We exist, we stand by our children”
Providing information about the application, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Children's Municipality Branch Manager Uğur Özyaşar said, "Our President, who has adopted the Children's Rights Convention accepted by the United Nations, as a principle. Tunç SoyerWe continue our work in line with the child-friendly city vision of . One of the duties of local governments is to ensure that children live in a happier and safer city. For this, we have started the practice of special seat allocation in public transportation vehicles serving within our municipality. We are here, we are with our children," he said.
“We invite people of İzmir to support child-friendly transportation”
Drawing attention to children's rights, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Children's Municipality Coordinator Levent Şeşen said, “We have implemented the child seat application in order to encourage child-friendly transportation. Our main goal here was to find solutions to the problems children face in public transportation. We invite all Izmir residents to support child-friendly transportation.”
Kids are happy with the app
Saying that the application is very beautiful, Ayşe Naz Duman said, “Sometimes, our elders can lift us while we are sitting. They are old, but our bags are too heavy, so we are struggling. I think this has been a very good practice,” he said.
Duru Melek Bal said: “Before there were child seats, we had difficulties in traveling. We were stuck in crowded environments. It was a very good idea to make child seats. Now we can travel comfortably. Special places for children make us feel special. "I feel like they're thinking of us," he said. Ozan Çetinkaya said, “There were times when I was very tired and I could not sit. I was hitting left and right. Now I feel special. "When someone sits down, I can say 'that's my seat,'" he said. Nehir Ünalan said, “I think it was very nice. There was no place for us to sit because the adults were sitting," he said.
“I support the app”
The application also received support from parents. Anne Müge Gül said, “It is a very good application. It will allow children to travel safely. Thank you to everyone involved,” he said. Father Tahsin Duman said, “We know the problems our children have in public transport. They are leaving the school tired and angry. They can't find a place with their big bags. If they do not give place, they are displaced by other people. That's why I see this practice as an awareness and support it. I hope it will set an example for other provinces," he said.
Don't call it a child's mind, the child is right!
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, in order to make children's rights visible in the society, between November 15 and November 20, "Don't say the child's mind, the child is right!" organized a series of events for children and their parents in Kültürpark and İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Seferihisar Children's Municipality Campus with the slogan. Children both had fun and learned through puppetry, drama, pantomime, rhythm, mind games and street games workshops. Interviews on "Child rights violations" and "Child abuse and neglect" were held for parents.
Be the first to comment