“Together with the
Community – for the Community
– Awareness of Children’s Rights” Conference held at GAU
Girne American University Faculty of Education Pre-School Teaching Department and GAU Early Childhood Education Support Club have co-operated to run child orientated projects with communal contribution. The conference on “Awareness of Children’s Rights” for 20th November World Children’s Rights Day was held in GAU Spectrum International Congress Hall.
The Head of Girne American University Faculty of Education Pre-School Teaching Department – Assist. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Toran, suggested that state regulations must be amended accordingly to support the utmost benefit for children to reinforce the children’s prosperity, educational rights and right to life in line with social texts that have been developed for more than a century. In addition to this teachers of pre-school education 
must develop methods to support a significant level of child development and construct events and activities to allow students to choose a practical route for their preferred field of professionalism.
Vice-Dean of GAU Faculty of Education – Assist. Prof. Dr. Şentaç Arı, advised teachers to educate children through the awareness of children’s rights. A significant contributor to the conference, GAU Early Childhood Education Support Co-chair and the sophomore of Pre-School Teaching – Ceren Alkan, has emphasized the child related statistics of non-governmental organizations and further added the adverse conditions encountered by children and the regulations forced by the government in accordance with these adverse conditions. The Chief of the Branch of Lefkoşa Social Services – Yeşim Gürçınar, underlined in her speech that social services is obliged to act as a preventative and protective institution therefore resolving disadvantaged children to have advantages. In addition to this Gürçınar said that the future developed policies must focus on benefitting the children and to develop those children orientated institutions to an international level. Clinical Psychologist – Eşmen Tatlıcalı, presented exemplifying cases 
of those children who are under significant risk through negligence and harassment and further informed about the conditions of negligence and harassment and required co-operation with relevant institutions related to this matter.
Advocate – Ayşe Öztabay, reported that the children, and women who have committed an offence, are to be tracked to observe the conditions they might encounter during the process of prosecution to reduce the rate of harassment to a minimum through legal regulations. Öztabay also added that whilst authorized personnel are indeed sensitive on this issue, legal amendments are required to be reinforced.
Lecturer in Pre-School Teaching Department of GAU Faculty of Education and GAU Early Childhood Education Support Club advisor – Aytaç Dilek, reported that the projects in respect of awareness of children’s rights will continue and the Agreement of Children’s Rights brochure will be distributed to the locals of Girne after confirmation by the relevant authority.
The Head of Girne American University Faculty of Education Pre-School Teaching Department – Assist. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Toran, stated that the second of the Pre-School Education days will be held in April.
