Türkiye on Wednesday will mark Children’s Day, also known as National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, a holiday dedicated to children and the inauguration of the republic’s Parliament in 1920. Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş hosted children from 30 countries at Parliament and highlighted how others were “unlucky” amid suffering in Palestine or suffering at the hands of those recruiting child soldiers.
Kurtulmuş said children, with their smiles and hopeful outlook on the future, set an example for adults. He noted that even when young people speak different languages, their laughter remains the same. Kurtulmuş highlighted that some children are not as fortunate as others around the world. Many are torn from life by war and massacres, he said.
"First and foremost, we see the children in Palestine, in Gaza – where bombs rain down on them even as we speak – as our own. We reiterate that their loss is a collective crime against humanity," he said.
"While wars, oppression and persecution persist in many parts of the world, it is heartbreaking to acknowledge that countless child soldiers, robbed of their childhood, are handed weapons instead of books while their peers attend school. These children, pushed into war by dark forces, should be in playgrounds and vibrant classrooms. The fact that they are forced to carry guns is a profound disgrace to humanity,” he said.
Kurtulmuş reiterated that many children in impoverished regions die of hunger. He criticized politicians for their indifference toward starving children. "Those who turn the world into a realm of exploitation – enriching some while impoverishing others, depriving them of basic food, clean water and bread – are enemies of humanity," he said.
"With your joyful and hopeful spirit, I pray that peace, unity and harmony will prevail. May wars end, and may all humanitarian failings be eradicated. We must build a world free from hunger and scarcity, where wars – and the scourge of child soldiers – are eliminated."
Kurtulmuş added that children and youth are the architects of the future, and through them, the world will become a more livable place.
Parliament will be at the heart of celebrations for Children’s Day and will hold a special session exclusively for children. Kurtulmuş himself will join other top officials, handing over their seats to children for the day as a symbolic gesture. Across the country, special events will be held at schools and other venues to mark the day.
The Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM) convened for the first time in 1920 in Ankara, the capital during the War of Independence, laying the groundwork for an independent, modern republic. This assembly, led by the republic’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, laid the foundation for Türkiye's national sovereignty, a cornerstone of our existence.
The date, originally marked as a holiday on the occasion of National Sovereignty Day, has also been celebrated as Children's Day since 1935. It dates back to earlier years, though, according to historians. It was first unofficially observed in 1925 as Children's Day by a children's charity endorsed by Atatürk, who declared the day as such. Atatürk, who had no biological children, was a foster father to several children and is known for his kind interaction with them. Atatürk had allocated a farm in Ankara and public buildings for the first large-scale celebrations of the day in 1927. "I dedicated this day to children to show respect to the children. Respecting them as equals, respecting the future of the nation," Atatürk was quoted in his dedication of April 23 to the children.
