Bizim Newspaper Nihal Kocabay Interview

November 2004

Nazire Dedeman
Founder President of Umut Foundation


 

1. Can you tell us about the establishment of Umut Foundation and its purposes?
Umut Foundation was established by Dedeman and Onal families in 1993. Originally, we had started our works with conference series on “Middle East Peace Process’ in 1992. 
Although we are known as a foundation focused on Individual Disarmament, the basis for our foundation’s establishment is to raise our youngsters, who are the guarantee of the future, as individuals who embrace the rule of law, are sensitive to environment and humanity, and prefer peaceful ways for solving conflicts and who have the conscious of citizenship. 

As Umut Foundation, we have been carrying out works to contribute to raising of conscious citizens, who are sensitive to social problems and rule of law, are aware of their rights and duties and act duly, more than 10 years,  besides our activities for creation of solutions regarding individual armament and raising awareness of the public.

2. How many members does the foundation have?
The foundations cannot accept members but volunteers in Turkey. We have many volunteers who contribute to our activities by either participating or undertaking duty. I should say that the most important asset of a non-governmental organization is its volunteer citizens who support the activities.  

3. What is the extent of individual armament in Turkey?
There was no talk on individual arms and data on this subject was not revealed to the public until now in Turkey. This subject was almost a taboo. However, it is nice to see that individual armament is accepted as a problem and it is discussed, as a result of Umut Foundation’s work that span to 10 years. Nevertheless, Abdülkadir Aksu, Internal Affair Minister, shared exact figures on individual armament in Turkey with the public in the past months. It was pretty difficult for us to reach such data before. For some reason, data sharing was not preferred. According to Aksu’s explanations, while the total number of corrugated shotgun with licence for having and bearing was 119, 542 until 1990 in Turkey, this figure increased to 1, 954,303 at the end of 2003. This shows us that armament grew 17 times in the last 13 years. In particular, licensing for arm reached to the highest number in 2000. 94,493 incidents took place with firearms, knives and other weapons between 2000 and 2003 in Turkey, according to the data of Security General Directorate. 97,484 people were injured during these incidents and 7659 people lost their lives. Experts say that around one in four houses have a weapon in Turkey. All these data show the gravity and extent of the problem.

4. What are the causes of individual armament?
The causes may various. Prestige, power, insecurity, lack of communication, being undeveloped, fear and worry, wrong kind of education can be considered as the cause. 35% business risk, 23,6% keep it at home, 16,7% curiosity-hobby, 12,7% hunting-shooting, 6,8% occupational necessity and 5.5% memorial of those who applied for an arm license  named as the  reason, according to survey of BAPAM (Bakırköy Psychiatric Treatment and Research Centre).

5. What is the armament rate in other countries? Which country has the highest rate of armament?
There are in total 638.9 million light arms around the world, according to data of United Nations. 378, 3 million of these are held by the individuals, which is 60% of the total. Individual armament displays a worse picture than state’s armament. Every year, a Vietnam is lived in Brazil; according to Viva Rio that is a Brazilian non-governmental organization.
As Ayhan Akcan who is our trustee says Turkey is on 7th-8th position according to murder data ranking. Every year on average 2500-3000 people lose their lives with a firearm in Turkey. 36% Latin America and Caraib region comes first, when looked at the regional distribution of death from firearms around the world, according to light arms survey in 2004.    
Africa is the second region with 18% death from light arms; North America and Southeast Asia follow them with 12%.  It should be highlighted that these data are only related to death. When taking into consideration of the injuries with firearms then we will realise the danger of individual armament problem.

6. What are the activities of your Foundation?
Umut Foundation contributed to protection and Strengthening fundamental rights and freedoms and human rights, ensuring world peace and justice by organizing the following activities since its establishment in 1993: “International Individual Disarmament Symposium” that it hosted, “1st Balkan Conference”, “1.-2.-3. The Science and Art of Peace Reconciliation Conference”, “Middle East Media Conference: Towards Peace Environment”, Training on Law for Ensuring and Strengthening the Existence of the State Governed by the Rule of Law”, The Causes and Effects of Individual Armament Problem in our Society”.

As a Foundation, We organize awarded competitions and meetings regarding individual armament that is the extreme point of violence in different fields and conduct scientific studies. At the same time we provide trainers training for ‘to be a Citizen…” and publish academic studies.

We carry out, as tradionally, “March of Silent Shoes” activity on 28 September ‘Individual Disarmament Day’ especially to draw attention to individual armament problem and inform the public about it, besides our publications and works in the field of training. Also, we organize award ceremony where we reveal the results of awarded and topical competition yearly.

Works that we started regarding individual armament problem are still going on. Updating of Law on Firearms and Knives and Other Weapons and preparation of a draft Bill are in our agenda. Additionally, we are preparing “Individual Armament Problem in Turkey Search Meeting” report, when it is completed we will distribute it to all relevant authorities and persons, of which we will be follower. 

Lastly, our preparation is continuoing to carry out painting exhibition and a coctail for the honour of 10th year of Umut Foundation in December.

7. How long has March of Silence Shoes been organized? What kind of reaction it receives?
March of Silence Shoes is one of the activities that we organize for 28 September Individual Disarmament Day. This activity was organized 4th time this year by Umut Foundation as the repetition of protest demonstrations of those who lost their loved ones with a gun, which was carried out in front of the building where Firearms Conference held on 18 July 2001 in New York by United Nations.  Previous activities for 28 September Individual Disarmament Day were carried out in Istanbul. But we organized the activities in Şanlıurfa that is one of the cities where arm terror has been encountered most.

We observe that our activities that we organize in order to help formation of consious within the society regarding individual disarmament and for the date of 28 September to be accepted as Individual Disarmament Day are being followed with more interest. This encourages us more.


8. Can you inform us about the training programs that your Foundation organizes?
A trainer group under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Ipek Gürkaynak, our trustee, gives trainings of “To Be a Citizen...” and “I am a human, individual, citizen”.  The trainings started in 1997 and still continue. The trainings are based on participants to be more active, which means the participants not only listen but also take part in the training. One of two trainings, organized this year is provided the trainers who were chosen as such by TEGV, is “I am a human, individual, citizen”.  The other one of the two is Citizenship and Human Rights training given to those who took part in Social Sensitivity Project by Sabancı University. Today, around 2000 trainers received “To Be a Citizen...” trainings and passing their knowledge to the youth in different regions of the country.

Student and training books of “To Be a Citizen...”  written by a team that composes of experts in their fields under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Ipek Gürkaynak, our trustee, as a result of long and hard work, was published by Umut Foundation Publications in 1998. Our books recommended by National Education Ministry and Training and Discipline Committee are used in many schools as citizenship book today.

Additionally, we published a book on “Individual Disarmament” that comprises of manifests of scientists and experts from various countries and our country, who participated in International Individual Disarmament Symposium that we organized in 2002, following the symposium. This year, we published a book called “Criminology” by our esteemed trustee Dr. Mustafa Tören, Ex General Manager of Prisons and Chairman of Law Philosophy Department, Faculty of Law of Çankaya University. 

9. Is individual armament is on the rise or falling now?
It draws one’s attention that particularly the number of licensed arms has increased, when Internal Affairs Ministry’s revelations are taking into consideration. For instance, 14,742 licences for bearing were issued in 2001, whereas, 17,479 licences for bearing were issued in 2003.  There are also unlicensed arms. 94,493 incidents occurred due to usage of firearms, knives and other weapons between 2002 and 2003. Licensed arms were used in 2,112 of these incidents, whereas unlicensed arms were used in 7172 of which. It is approximately 3, 5 times more. These statistics highlight the danger even more. 

10. What should be done to solve individual armament problem?
Violence is above all a social problem and social and economic causes that push people to armamanet should be eliminated. This is an obligation to create a secure and healthy society. Arm is only a tool of violence that is used for killing; it does not have any other function. People should grasp this. The biggest part of the responsibility falls on individuals who form the society and naturally law makers to solve individual armament problem. Above all, Law on firearms. Knives and other weapons and relevant regulations should be re-organized and penalties should be made more deterrent.

 “Being a Consious Citizen” lessons should be in the curriculum of National Education Ministry in order to raise consious and sensitive citizens who know and practice their rights and duties.

Naturally, it is families and parents fundemantal responsibility. Parents should teach their children problem solving skills in a peaceful way rather than conflicting. The youth should assimilate the idea of being peaceful is part of being human, instead of adopting the idea that when inflicting power one becomes more powerful.

11. We observe that especially the youth has more tendencies towards violence. Why is that you think?

This is more to do with mass media, in particular to TV. Children spend most of their time in front of TV. A watching generation is raising, not a reading one and what they watch is take as a model and imitate it. Animations and serial films that contain violence effect children very much. Parents, educators and Turkish Parliament are also very influential about this. A child who is subjected to violence at home, at school by his/her friends and teachers who sees in news on TV that Members of Parliament fight, learns naturally violence.  

12. You demand that toy guns are banned. How do people react to it? Do they agree with you?
There is a survey that we started on our web site for banning of toy guns that is continuoing for about two years. The answers that were given in the survey suprised us a lot. Because, up until now in total 18,954 people voted, 77% of which said “no, toy guns should not be banned”. We understand from the answers given on the web site is that general opinion is against the ban. Whereas, our arguments is that violence is learned since the early childhood and toys that symbolises violence such as toy gun has an important role for learning of violence.

13. Do you think especially animation films and other cildren programs that contain violence should be banned apart from toy guns?
Yes, I think that children programs that contain violence should be drawn from broadcasting. Actually, not only children programs but very trendy serials in which violence tools and scenes are abundantly shown should be supervised. One of the programs, in which violence secenes are shown very much, is news. Reporter, of course, will use violence news that has a news quality. But, violence secenes in the news should be broadcast as controlled in this kind of news and if possible, social psycohologists should be consulted. The importance of this matter will be understood, when considered that Turkish society has a high rate of young population.

Of course other important tools that should not be overlooked is that computer games in which there is no boundry for war, fight and brutality. Drawing these games from the market and giving them to children under the supervision of parents is very important. Otherwise, not in a far future, there will be snipers and school massacres in Turkey.

14. What should the State do to support disarmament? Do you think these obligations are fulfilled?
As i mentioned above, above all legal regulations should be carried out. Although, social behaviour is mostly affected by traditions and customs, power of law and particularly their deterrence cannot be ignored in a modern state governed by rule of law. İt will be mistake to leave elimination of a behaviour pattern that threatens the individual’s right to live to a traditions pretty slow change rate. In our opinion, until now, the law maker’s efforts regarding this matter are inadequate. Relevant law and regulations should be urgently reformed to be able to have good results. 

15. Do other countries take measures against individual armament? What are these measures?
Arm control is weak in USA as it is known. Arm controls were initiated in United Knigdom and other 54 countries in Europe, according to barrister Fikret İlkiz, our trustee. The penalty for keeping arm is death in Taiwan and Singapour. The age of keeping arm is 21 in South Africa as it is in Turkey, whereas it is between the ages of 16 and 18 in many countries. The arm can be obtained after investigations and monitors following the application for purchasing arm in some countries, which comprises of a long process. Purchase of arm or bullet is dependent on proving special need for it, according to laws of France, Denmark and Netherlands. 

Thank you for your interest in and sensitivity for this matter.