8th Individual Disarmament Award-Winning

SOME STATISTICS INFORMATION AND STABILIZATIONS CONCERNING INDIVIDUAL ARMAMENT

According to registrations of United Nations 500 thousand people die in a year as a result of attack with plain weapons.In Turkey,1352 people died as a result of armed attacks in 1998,in the same way,2288 people was condemned in 1999 owing to opposition to the 6136 numbered Firearms Law.
There are some important stabilizations that necessitate us to struggle againist especially ‘Individual Armament’ rather than generally ‘armament’.Individual strength or violence took the place of law,public strength in this society where children are born into the violence.People who are not againist individual armament claim its reason as individual defence or self-protection.This situation shows that law government is not developed,people do not feel themselves in safe.

According to an investigation made upon a group consisted of 800 people,people buy weapon for 30,4% job risk,29,6% keeping at home,15% hunting,10% hobby.Avery remarkable another stabilization is 87,5% of people who applied for weapon licence did not exposed to any threat (theft,robbery,etc) that would entail them to buy weapon.

An investigation made by Bakırköy Psychiatry Treatment and Research Centre within the frame of studies that is carried out according to individual disarmament and its results brings up the relationship between individual armament and commiting crime with weapon.In this investigation,it is stated that weapon number in Turkey has increased 10 times in the last 10 years,there are near 1 million weapons which are ‘carrying’ and ‘keeping’ licenced and there are 1,5 million rifles which are official certificated for hunting.Again the same investigation shows that the number of non-licenced weapons are 3 times more than licenced weapons.It is stated that 50% of murders are commited with weapon,35-40% of violence within family and episodes resulted with killing partner are commited with weapon.

Investigations point out that some regions in Istanbul carry potential risk pregnant to social explosions because of cases like distorted urbanizations and emigration and there is illegal armament in these regionsAccording to an emigration,weapon and crime investigation made by the same institution about 10 thousand incidents between 1998-2000,20 murder is commited in a year in Esenler.When the applications for weapon licence are inspected,25% Küçükçekmece,22,5% Bakırköy,10,5% Bahçelievler, 7,8% Güngören,7,5% Bağcılar,5,1% Zeytinburnu,4,7% Büyükçekmece,3,3% Avcılar,2,5% Gaziosmanpaşa,as for Esenler 2,3%compose of this.Additionally,it is indicated that there is increase in murders in general Istanbul;60% in Esenler,78% in Gaziosmanpaşa,200% in Sultanbeyli,50% in Ümraniye,54% in Bağcılar,200% in Kartal.Specialists connect licence application’s being few in spite of murders commited by weapon with illegal armament.
Aforesaid investigations made about individual armament show that this problem is not very much taken into consideration by society and opinion leaders of society but this problem owns vital importance.

The President Of Selector Committee And Lecturer In The Statue Department Of The Academy Of Fine Arts Of Mımar Sınan Unıversıty
Prof.Dr.Ferit Özşen

Lecturer In The Statue Department Of The Academy Of Fıne Arts Of Mımar Sınan Unıversıty
Prof.Rahmi Aksungur

The President Of The Statue Dapartment Of The Academy Of Fine Arts Of Marmara Unıversity
Nilüfer Ergin

The President Of Council Of Managers Of International Plastic Arts Assocıatıon And Iaa Presıdent Of East Europe
Mehmet Güleryüz

Art Critic
Abdülkadir Günyaz

The Advisor Of The Mayor Of Şişli Munıcıpalıty
Architect Erhan İşözen

The Pesident Of The Association Of Art Gallerists
Doğan Paksoy

Lecturer In The Political Science Department Of Galatasaray Unıversity
Artun Ünsal

The Founder President Of Umut Foundation
Nazire Dedeman

The aim of the contest is to compose the contemporary comprehension conscience about the matter in the society by the manner of exhibiting their works together by scrutunizing the approach of Turkish artists to the individual peace.

Selector Committee:

Prof.Dr.Rahmi AKSUNGUR,The Statue Department of Mimar Sinan University

A.Prof.Dr.Nilüfer ERGİN,The Academy of Fine Arts of Marmara University

Mehmet Güleryüz,The President of The Association of International Plastic Arts

Abdülkadir GÜNYAZ,Art Critic

Prof.Dr. Mehmet R.GÜRKAYNAK,Founder Administrator-Assistant of the President of the Council of Managers of Umut Foundation

Erhan İŞÖZEN,Architect

Prof.Dr.Ferit ÖZŞEN,The President of The Statue Department of Mimar Sinan University

Doðan PAKSOY,The President of The Association of Art Gallerists

Prof.Dr.Artun ÜNSAL,The Political Science Department of Galatasaray University

Prizes:

The prizes that will be delivered in the Statue Contest organized in the activity extend of Umut Foundation-28 Sep Individual Disarmament Day are net as the bottom:

The prize of the champion 4.000.000.000TL

The prize of the secondary 3.000.000.000TL

The prize of the third 2.000.000.000TL

The application forms and the list of conditions can be obtained by the way of applying to Umut Foundation or from Dedeman Hotels,Art Galleries,Foundations Selling Art Materials,The Association of Plastic Arts and our web site. 

The prize ceremony and the exhibition inauguration of the statue contest about ‘Individual Disarmament and Individual Peace’ organized by Umut Foundation for the 28 Sep Individual Disarmament Day was performed on 28 Sep 2002/Saturday at Presidency Mansion of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.The statue exhibition continued 5 days.

‘Art is the most independant individual expression and the most excellent way of communication.’Artists,now expressed their views about peace and disarmament by the way of statues which are the other branch of art.

Aiming to compose the contemporary comprehension conscience about the matter in the society by the manner of exhibiting their works by scrutunizing the approach of Turkish intellectuals,authors and artists to the individual peace,Umut Foundation is organizing some sort of contests from the date on 1993 to compose the conscience in the society about the individual disarmament which is being struggling for.The founder president of Umut Foundation esteemed Nazire Dedeman,The Representative President of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality esteemed Ümit Özerol,The Governor of Istanbul esteemed Erol Çakýr made one apiece speech in the activity of the prize ceremony and the exhibition inauguration of the statue contest about ‘ Individual Disarmament and Individual Peace’ that was started with the exhibition promenade accompanied by Gypsy Music of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality City Orhestra.The activity was over with the presentation of the film ‘Photographs’ after the presentation of the prizes.

This year,organizing the statue contest about ‘Individual Disarmament and Individual Peace’ which is the eighth of the contests,Umut Foundation had organized Scientific Research and Study about ‘Reasons of Individual Armament in Turkey’in 1995, Composition Contest for High School Students about ‘Violence and Weapon among Youth’ in 1996, Caricature Contest about ‘Weapons are not a Laughing Matter’ in 1997,News Contest about ‘Role of Media in Individual Disarmament’ in 1998,News and Photography Contest about ‘Violence and Weapons in our Society’ in 1999, Article Contest about ‘Media Contribution to Peace’ in 2000,Film Scenario and Short Film Contests about ‘Youth and Weapons’in 2001,Statue Contest about ‘Individual Disarmament and Individual Peace’ in 2002.

Umut Foundation,which is struggling with all its possible force for denying the violence in this society in which every side of us is wrapped up with images of violence and blood ,returning the weapon which is traditionally perceived as the image of strength and power into the basically symbol of weakness,incapability to express oneself,cowardice and wildness,continue its struggle for peace-loving,self-respecting,democracy-believing,respectful to human rights and healty young brains.

September 28, 2002

Our precious guests,
As the years with 2000 continue,humanity has been directed towards a new civilization with attacks in information and communication technologies.It is not possible yet to estimate what will this big direction bring to humankind.But it is calculated that three fourth of world population estimated to exceed eight billion in the middle of 21st century will live in cities,50 big cities that will shelter 30 million people will emerge.It is thought that number of unemployed people will reach 2 billion in near future;every year millions of people will emigrate to rich countries from the poorest 50 countries that 20% of the world is living in but can obtain only 2% of world income.Traces of these estimations are seen also in our country since today.It will be difficult to find peace,protect it,stop the individual quarrels within this confusion.

Isn’t it the peace that complete the societies,open the way to development of affection,friendship and mutual reliance.It is clear that peace and peace culture which are perceived as opposed to violence and war at first glance are basically individual and very dimensioned theme as far as being a social theme.Don’t we all want peace when speaking?Then why does weapon appear in front of us?And what are the reasons and effects of weapon taking place in the society?Today I want to talk about these a little as headlines.I am sure that you will find these stabilizations remarkable but dignity hurting.

-Weapon is an alogical tool that we believe created and also can be terminated by human,ends human life,threaten the living right which is the basic right of humankind whether it is used for defence or attack.
-The most defended reason of individual armament is self-protection.The increase in number of weapon owners due to this reason composes the judgement of unfulfilled law government.Individuals are distrustful to the government and its institutions.Also the government is so distrustful to its institutions and establishments that it gives weapon licence to its citizens for this reason.Weapon;that is to say the place of object with fire or fireless and tool at human hand that gives harm to human,living creature and nature carry a symbol that continue from the first man to today whether it is for to continue the life or self-protection.So, first of all,it is necessary to terminate this symbols that differentiate in minds.According to an investigation made upon a group consisted of 800 people,people buy weapon for 30,4% job risk,29,6% keeping at home,15% hunting,10%hobby.A very remarkable another stabilization is 87,5% of people who applied for weapon licence did not exposed to any threat,theft and robbery.Then there is difference between the reason of giving weapon licence and the demand of keeping weapon.
-There is impulse control problem in great section of people who applied for and took weapon licence.That is to say,these are elements as quarrelsome personality in 6,3%,driving car fast in 5,4%, habit of gambling in 1,3%,getting drunk frequently in 0,5% of people.
-There is opposite proportion between the tendency to buy weapon and positive personality characteristics in individuals.Another way of coping with armament in civil life is socially making people realize that buying weapon is not a natural behaviour.
-Studies made upon murder make us think that the foremost condition of commiting crime is firearms.Guilt is a social episode.So the sense of weapon for our society determines the opinion of guilt commited with this tool.We see that guilt of murder is prefered to shameful guilts also in occupation to jobs after the setting free of the sentenceds.
-According to a study made in Bakırköy Woman and Child Jail,40% of women are in prison because of murder and 80% of people killed by these women are their husbands and the most remarkable reason of husbands’ being killed by weapon is having a weapon.
Investigations point out that some regions in Istanbul carry potential risk pregnant to social explosions because of cases like distorted urbanizations and emigration and there is illegal armament in these regionsAccording to an emigration,weapon and crime investigation made by the same institution about 10 thousand incidents between 1998-2000,20 murder is commited in a year in Esenler.When the applications for weapon licence are inspected,25% Küçükçekmece,22,5% Bakırköy,10,5% Bahçelievler, 7,8% Güngören,7,5% Bağcılar,5,1% Zeytinburnu,4,7% Büyükçekmece,3,3% Avcılar,2,5% Gaziosmanpaşa,as for Esenler 2,3%compose of this.Additionally,it is indicated that there is increase in murders in general Istanbul;60% in Esenler,78% in Gaziosmanpaşa,200% in Sultanbeyli,50% in Ümraniye,54% in Bağcılar,200% in Kartal.Specialists connect licence application’s being few in spite of murders commited by weapon with illegal armament.

-Now let’s look at the distribution of cases that was opened at Criminal Courts about Special Laws That Carry Criminal Judgement and showed density according to CASE NUMBER/PERCENTAGE/TOTAL NUMBER OF ACCUSEDS.
In cases opened in only 2001 about special laws that carry Criminal Judgement;here you can see top ten according to case number,the 6136 numbered law about firearms and knives takes place in top five.Total case number opened in a year because of this law is 23.547.There are weapons used in hunting,sport in eighth line.Total case number opened in a year is 7.940 also in here.

If we return to the 6136 numbered law,we should pay attention that the total number of accuseds is 30.140 in 23.547 cases.Here,it is seen that there are more than one accused in disregardable part of cases.
In addition,let’s look at the distribution of accuseds judged with the necessity Law About Firearms and Knives according to their age and sexes.Woman number is 619 whereas the man number is 29.738 out of totally 30.140 accuseds.Child number is 959 because,legally, someone between 11-17 ages is regarded as child.

I do not want to get into the statistics excessively but yet;I should say these in the other datums direction taken from General Directorate of Record of Previous Convictions and Statistics of Ministry of Justice We see that 50% of cases results in condemnation when we look at the sorts of decree of these cases.This shows us that at least 15.000 people are condemned in a year because of weapon.Another datum is:average judgement duration of each case carried out with the necessity of 6136 numbered law is 353 days.Judgement duration is taken into consideration as the time between the arrival of the case to the trial and the judgement.I will not mention about the financial loss of these cases each lasting 353 days for this country.
These determinations continue like this.But lastly,I want to transfer a matter as a reply to a question asked us frequently.Why is it individual armament rather than armament?First of all,I should say this:Getting specialist is necessary also in Third Sector as it is in all sectors.Disarmament of countries and disarmament of civils living in the same society are different matters.Investigation of disarmament of soldiers and disarmament of civils resemble to a discussion of two different matters in the same platform.But they are in same importance when it is thought of from the perspectives of gaining the peace and welfare of humankind.Is it how?56 thousand American died in the war in Vietnam within six years.Every year 42 thousand people lose their lifes in Brasil as a result of individual armament.Pay attention to this;every year almost nearly a Vietnam is experienced in Brasil with individual arms.I chose Brasil especially as an example.There are similar qualities between Brasil and Turkey in individual armament matters.The same social insensitivity and the same worn-out traditions and customs to the matter exist in both of the societies.

Ok,now that I have reached this interest,I want additionally to talk about activities of Umut Foundation very shortly.
Umut Foundation,from the date on its establishment,is making studies in the direction of its aims,in regard of growing up of youths as people away from violence,believing in the superiority of law,skilled with solving problems in peaceful ways with doctrines of our great leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.Our youths should grow up as individuals protecting human rights and respectful to human rights.

In this direction,The Foundation organized Agreement Methods Seminars,educated students and teachers and still continue to educate.In the same way,a series of book titled as ‘I AM A HUMAN’ is written in our country to be used in first stage of primary school students with the cooperation of The Ministry of Public Education and British Council for the development of education of human rights,teacher educations are organized for the productive usage of these books.

Parallel to this,teacher and student books titled as ‘TO BE A CITIZEN...’are printed for second stage of primary school students and now they are studied as helpful lecture book at schools.Until today more than a thousand teacher are educated by educators of Umut Foundation concerning the usage of this book in the classroom.Now,human rights education which is intensively effectual method is given by Umut Foundation to the volunteers of ‘Education Volunteers Foundation of Turkey’in the frame of a double protocol.The most basic right of human is to live.

Violence within family is a kind of individual violence.As for tip point of violence is the thing realized by using individual arm.Relating to all sorts of individual violence,Umut Foundation helps with all of its present possibilities also to other civil society organizations that make studies serving to the aim. In this connection,our Foundation supported ‘Father Supporting Education Programme’ carried on by Mother-Child Education Foundation.

Out of all these studies directed towards education,Umut Foundation prepare the way for national and international academic studies,symposiums,panel discussions and continue its studies on the results gained from there.
My precious guests,it is absolutely necessary to speak about peace at home,peace in the world.There is extremely nice approach in this expression that brings up the relationships of individuals with each other that is to say with their family,with their districts,with their nation and certainly the relationships of all the people in the world with each other.There is agreement,share and affection.Being tolerant,not being defeated by grudge and rage,being respectful to humanely life and different opinions are the greatest virtues of human.This is peace culture.Individual disarmament lies in its essential.

I wish our studies to be advantageous for the society,I give my thanks to your participations and to your hearts.
To the tomorrows full of hope...