Activities of the Human Rights Presidency

1) In the area of Human Rights, following our application for candidacy to European Economic Community in 1987, the institutionalization efforts are started. In the framework of these efforts, the Human Presidency is founded on 12.04.2001 by the law of 4643.

The missions of our presidency are as follows;

a. To be permanently in touch with both state and private authorities in charge of the issues related to the human rights and to provide the coordination between these organizations.

b. To monitor the implementation of the regulations related to human rights, to evaluate the observation results, to remove failures met in the application and in the legislation and to coordinate the studies in order to conform the Turkish National Legislation with the supported international human rights documents and to make proposals on these issues.

c. To monitor, to evaluate and to coordinate the application of the pre-service education, training and service-in human rights education programmes in the public association and organizations.

d. To examine and to investigate the application of the human rights violation claims, to evaluate the research results and to coordinate the studies regarding the measures to be taken.

e. To carry out the secretary service to the councils established related respectively with their missions under coordination of Prime Ministry.

2) On the other hand, it is difficult to increase the standards of human rights with a central institution, as Turkey is a very big country with its population and territory. The Human Rights Boards of the Provinces and Sub-provinces are reinstitutionalized because of this, by the regulation published in the official gazette dated to 23 November 2003 and no.25298, in order to protect human rights, to do all necessary investigation and research about the claims of human rights violations, to inform the concerned state institutions and to inform the public, to make the implementation of the institutions and their approach with tolerance.

An important reform with the amendment of November 2003 is that “to execute all the necessary tasks to prevent all kinds of discrimination” is added to the duties of the Boards of Provinces and Sub-provinces. At the 13th article of the regulation, to investigate the claims for violations of human rights, to evaluate the results of these and to transmit the cases to the Attorney General according to their subjects are counted as duties of the Human Rights Boards of Provinces and Sub-provinces.

The Human Rights Boards of Provinces and Sub-provinces are established in order to protect and develop human rights, to simplify the contact with the public and to increase cooperation. In this extent, it is given importance to giving more attention to activities aiming to increase awareness and to educate the public officials on human rights.

Actually there are 931 Human Rights Boards 81 of which are Boards of Provinces and 850 of which are Boards of sub-provinces. Again with the amendment made on November 2003, the public official based structure of the Boards is changed into a civil society based one. Human Rights Boards which are composed of at least 16 members, have only two members from the government. The rest of the members are coming from different civil society organizations, chambers of different professions and political party representatives. “Human Rights Information and Application Desks” are established under each Board.

The Human Rights Boards of Provinces and sub-Provinces send activity reports each month to our Presidency, concerning their activities and the applications they received.

Apart from this, in order to provide the effective investigation of these violations and in order to obtain reliable information on the nature of the violation, beginning from January 2004 at each Application desks “The Individual Application Forms for Human Rights Violation Claims” are started to be used. These are the forms developed by our Presidency in order to evaluate and collect the statistical data obtained concerning human rights violation claims besides investigating the human rights violation claims. Application forms can be provided from about 931 Human Rights Information and Application Desks and web-site of Prime Ministry (www.basbakanlik.gov.tr). Due to principle of transparency in the provision of public services, the statistical data obtained every month is given to press to inform the public by the beginning of 2004.

Essential function of statistical data is to find out what falling points are, to figure out the issues progressed in terms of human rights and to observe the reflection of reform implementation. Province and sub-province boards entitled “Implementation Barometrical” have restructured in order to provide services to all citizens. Thus, Boards consist of NGO’s representatives rather than state personals. In other words, in accordance with current structure, just 2 members are state personnel out of min 16 members of boards.

NGO’s representatives who work for boards are as follows:

-Minimum 3 associations and foundations carry out activities in human rights.
-Demarch’ representative
-Local press representatives
-Trade Union’ representatives
-Chamber of commerce and industry’ representative
-Chamber of MD’s representative
-Bar’ representative
-University’ representative
-Political parties who have group in Parliament.
-Province General Council’ representative
-Mayor

Since boards are widely organized and corresponded by all societies parts, boards get information from all over the country fourteen thousand personnel work for boards.

In January 2004, applications of 76 persons for 138 rights categories in Turkey were announced to public. 60 persons out of 76 applied to Human Rights Presidency, 15 persons applied to province human rights boards, 1 person applied to sub-province board. The first 3 right categories violated in terms of application numbers were torture and maltreatment claims, right to freedom and security, right to fair trial respectively.

In February 2004, applications of 64 persons for 118 rights categories in Turkey were announced to public. 20 persons out of 64 applied to Human Rights Presidency, 38 persons applied to provice human rights boards, 2 people applied to sub-province board. The first 3 right categories violated in terms of application numbers were right to fair trial, right to citizenship and health and patient rights respectively.

In March 2004, applications of 74 persons for 177 rights categories in Turkey were announced to public. 14 persons out of 74 applied to Human Rights Presidency, 56 persons applied to province human rights boards, 4 people applied to sub-province board. The first 3 right categories violated in terms of application numbers were right to fair trial, right to citizenship and health and patient rights respectively.

In April 2004, applications of 66 persons for 134 rights categories in Turkey were announced to public. 18 persons out of 66 applied to Human Rights Presidency, 43 persons applied to province human rights boards, 5 people applied to sub-province board. The first 3 right categories violated in terms of application numbers were right to fair trial, right to citizenship and health and patient rights respectively.

In May 2004, applications of 48 persons for 139 rights categories in Turkey were announced to public. 9 persons out of 48 applied to Human Rights Presidency, 38 persons applied to province human rights boards, 1 person applied to sub-province board. The first 3 right categories violated in terms of application numbers were right to life, right to citizenship and health and patient rights respectively.

In July, 23 applications to Human Right Presidency, 36 applications to province human rights boards and 4 applications to sub-province boards, totally 63 applications were carried out in Turkey. Because one person may apply for more than one category, the number of human rights violence claim has become 110.

3) To establish the coordination and cooperation between government and the civil society organisations, and to increase the contribution of the people doing scientific research on human rights, the Regulation for Human Rights Advisory Board is amended on 23.11.2004.

4) Also we have been studying on some projects. One of these, “Promoting Awareness About Human Rights and Democratic Principles” was carried out European Commission/Council of Europe and Human Rights Presidency jointly. In this project, 8 round table meetings were organized for Human Rights Boards and 7 round table meetings were organized for NGOs. Also, 200.000 leaflets and 500.000 posters were distributed all over the country.

The Campaign to raise awareness of human rights issues among the Turkish public was conceived so as to address both the lack of accessible and concise information on human rights issues and to provide support to both representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and officials charged with a responsibility to safeguard and promote protection of human rights throughout Turkey. To this end, the Human Rights Presidency within the Office of the Prime Minister, and the 931 Human Rights Boards in Turkey’s regions, made ideal partners.

Description of activities
a) Regional visits
b) Round table meetings to raise awareness on human rights issues with NGOs
c) Round Table meetings to raise awareness on human rights issues with members of Human Rights Boards
d) Media information events
e) Study visits
Two study visits organized to Copenhagen and Strasbourg with the participation of 30 members of NGOs and Local Human Rights Boards.
f) Materials to raise awareness on human rights issues
Leaflet for use by the Human Rights Councils
A leaflet/poster intended both to inform the general public on the importance of human rights in everyday life and to provide contact details for the local Human Rights Boards was produced in close association with the Human Rights Presidency and the Human Rights Boards themselves. It has been distributes by the Human Rights Presidency to all Human Rights Boards and relevant civil societies (200.000 copies).
Posters on human rights issues
Five posters have been designed to inform the general public about their rights. The posters highlight freedom of expression, freedom of association, freedom of assembly, equality and prevention of torture. Original photographs and graphics are used. The posters are printed and are being distributed together with the leaflet.
The campaign to raise public awareness on Human Rights is an ambitious amalgam of meetings, materials and encounters with the media. To date, the media events and round table meetings with Chairmen of the Human Rights Boards (HRBs) or with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have done much to stimulate discussion and interest around human rights issues. Representatives of NGOs have expressed their appreciation primarily for the all too rare opportunity to meet and discuss their common concerns. Interestingly enough, the NGOs were also quick to point out that their involvement in a joint EC/CoE initiative with Turkey has done much to boost their own self-confidence and to raise their status in the wider community. The opportunity to engage with representatives of the Human Rights Presidency was also seen as useful. Similarly for the Chairmen of the Human Rights Boards, the project has provided a
Valuable forum in which to meet and discuss common problems. For some HRB’s, the round table meetings have even provided an opportunity to clarify their responsibilities and purpose, as well as being a good place to exchange information on methods of dealing with complaints and broader approaches to resolving problems or human rights violations.

Certain concrete positive results have been observed arising out of the round table meetings with Chairmen of the Human Rights Boards. For example, the Chairman of the Samsun Human Rights Board began a local campaign to inform people directly about their rights, in response to a promise made during the meeting that he would introduce significant changes and that Samsun would become a completely different province within three months. Another concrete example is the Governor of the sub-province of Şehit Kamil (Gaziantep), who, the day after the round table held in Konya, circulated a letter to the heads of districts to remind them about the existence of the Human Rights Board and started to receive complaints the following day.

One issue much discussed, has been the fact that separate round table meetings were held for Chairmen of the Human Rights Boards, on the one side, and NGOs on the other. In fact, the dividing lines have not always been so clear. During each of the round table meetings with NGOs, for example, government officials in the person of one or two moderators from the Human Rights Presidency have in fact been present. Additionally, during the NGO R-T in Diyarbakır upon request by Women Associations participation of the Deputy Governor to the meetings has been provided. Discussions about relations between NGOs and officials have been a part of the round table meetings of both groups. Discussions were remarkably constructive, in particular during the sessions on Freedom of association, and a dialogue has certainly begun.

5) In order to establish a parallel institutionalization to the Paris Principles accepted as the decisions on 20 December 1993, no.48/134 by UN General Assembly, and to the directives of 43 and 78 accepted by the European Council, a draft Law is prepared by our Presidency on the establishment of an independent and reliable “Turkish National Human Rights Institution” which will also work on “anti-discrimination”, and it is submitted to the Undersecretary ship of Prime Ministry.

6) On the other hand, in order to prevent from gender discrimination in job opportunities in the government institutions, a circular no.2004/7 on “ taking into consideration gender equality in employing public officials”, is published by the Prime Ministry in the official gazette dated to 22.01.2004 and no.25354,

Turkey is part of the agreement of CEDAW in UN. Taking into consideration the 2nd and the 11th articles of the agreement, protecting the rights of women is given more importance by our government.