Bugün Gazetesi Kaan Özbek Interview

Bugün Gazetesi Kaan Özbek Interview
July 19th 2006

Nazire Dedeman
Founder President of Umut Foundation

1-Dear Dedeman, how did Umut Foundation born? Could you give the foundation’s idea and establishment process? How did this long and challenging struggle started?

Umut foundation was established in 1993 by Dedeman and Önal families. Originally we started our studies in 1992 with conference lectures about “Peace Process in Middle East”

Although we are known as a foundation based on Individual Disarmament, the aim of the foundation is to raise our youth, who are the safeguard of the future as democratic individuals who have adopted the rule of law, who are sensitive to environment and humanity, who prefer peaceful means in solving disagreements and who own has awareness of citizenship

Toward this aim, one of our primary objects is to create solutions about the individual arming in our society and to raise awareness of the public. Besides, we have conducted works since more than 14 years to contribute to the growth of conscious citizens who believe in the rule of law, who are sensitive in social problems, who are aware of their rights and responsibilities and who meet the requirements.

2-Your name is mentioned along with a big holding. What were the positive and negative reactions you got from any part of the society?

Although I am the council chairman of one of Turkey’s leading holding, I am continuing my work life and Umut Foundation parallel with each other. Hence, we are especially cautious in moving toward the aims of Umut Foundation within the scope of the Holding. Since our attitude is very clear and consistent, no negative reactions came from anybody by this time.

3-I think it has been 13 years the Foundation was established. What changed in Turkey concerning individual disarmament in 13 years?

The existence of the term “Individual Disarmament” wasn’t even a matter of discussion when Umut Foundation started to study about it. At present, “Individual Disarmament” has become a term and is accepted to be an important problem of our society. Even this development is crucial.

People weren’t talking about individual arming up to the present and the data weren’t declared to the public opinion. This issue was almost a taboo. However, as a result of 13 years of studies made by Umut Foundation, it is a good to see that individual arming is accepted and argued as a problem…

Today a public opinion is formed concerning the struggle against individual arming and our politicians become aware as well about the gravity of this problem. The fact that these works which has been started by Umut Foundation concerning individual armament has spread to the society and has been accepted is a hopeful and important development.

Although most of the things changed in 13 years in Turkey, the Firearms Law, which was made to meet the conditions of the year 1954, hasn’t been changed yet unfortunately... The ever-increasing violence events depending on the economy in the society and violence movies including weapons and even cartoon heroes with weapons and toys with weapons have increased individual arming. Especially after 1985, weapon licenses distributions have accelerated due to political policies and individual armament has increased with a big acceleration due also to the terror impact.

But thanks to Umut Foundation’s works, violence events and murders caused by a weapon aren’t seen as “Someone Else’s Pain” anymore. A biggest part has accepted now that individual armament is a social problem and has become claimant for their life safety to be protected by the government. Bullets coming out from weapons fired randomly are labeled as “Individual Weapon Terror” and the society conscience has started to reproach this kind of events.

Moreover especially mothers and fathers of the new generation are doing their best to keep their children away from the world of violence. As most of them do not buy toys referring to violence to their children, many families are sending these kinds of toys they own to our Foundation in order for them to be destroyed.

4-From which governments and politicians did you get support about this issue?

The Prime Minister mentioned that Individual Armament is one of Turkey’s problems during his Diyarbakır travel and showed his sensitivity concerning this issue.  CHP (Republican People’s Party) Kırklareli Deputy Dear Mehmet Kesimoğlu has prepared a proposal concerning the prohibition of entering in public houses with weapons and has presented it to the Internal Affairs Commission. Furthermore we have got the support of municipal administrations particularly within the duration we have conducted our studies. By this time we have worked with municipal administrations such as Istanbul Governorship, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Kadıköy Municipality, Şişli Municipality, Beyoğlu Municipality, Düzce Governorship, Alanya District Governorship, Şanlıurfa Governorship, Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality and Viranşehir District Governorship.

5-Why do people want to carry a weapon? Do you think that people have security problem in the Republic of Turkey?

The reasons of individual armament in Turkey could be shown as reputation, strength, insecurity, lack of communication, backwardness, fear and anxiety, wrong education and fashion.

According to Bapam (Bakırköy Psikiyatri Tedavi ve Araştırma Merkezi, Psychiatry Treatment and Research Center), the people who have applied for a weapon license showed the following reasons:
35% “business risk”
23.6% “should be present at home”
16.7% “curiosity – hobby”
12.7% “hunting – shooting”
5.5% “souvenir”

Experts point out that about every one out of four houses is holding a weapon in Turkey. All these data shows how big this problem is.

6-Should we blame the media in the use of weapon?

Yes, I am of the opinion that violence content programs devoted to children should discontinue broadcasting, mainly those appearing in visual media. In fact series, which are in fashion these days and which violence tools and scenes are used largely, should be supervised also. We support as a Foundation the decision the advertisers took toward not giving violence content advertisings to broadcasts.

One of the programs in which violence images are showed at most in television is the newscasts. Reporters will of course use violence news that is newsworthy. But I believe that violence images should be given in a controlled manner in this news, if possible it should receive consultancy from social psychologists. Considering that the big majority of the Turkish population is young, this should be accepted as an important issue.

Written media should absolutely treat this kind of armed violence on behalf of forming a conscious in the society but the way the news will be given is very important. The media should not banalize the violence but should not also frighten the citizens and pave the way for their individual armament. For example news titled as “he cleared its honor” would prove the criminal right. Titling an event in which an unlicensed weapon is involved as “he/she shot a friend by accident” will commute the crime in the society’s conscience. The media should make tiny distinctions in this issue.

Sure the other tool that should not be missed out is computer games in which there is no limit in war, battle and barbarity. It is very important for these games to be off the market and be given to the use of the young under the control of the parents. I believe that a big part of violence events happened in schools these days is due to violence originating from computer. Most of the children think that nothing will happen to their friends as it is in their computer game.

7-Despite the works which have been made, people are still injured or murdered because of fire or fireless weapons. If you had to answer with numbers, is there any visible decline or increase in the amount of events happened in the last 5 years for example?

Death or injury events with firearms are happening constantly and frequently in our country. Regrettable and painful events encountered one after the other in the last days have made this problem a current issue in the society. According to international data, while in average three hundred thousand people lose their life in wartime in the world; in average two hundred thousand people lose their life due to murders, accidents and suicides committed with firearms in regions where peace prevail. In Turkey this number is in average three thousand people a year.

The increase is present particularly in suicide and murder events committed by women with firearms. While in the past, during the examinations of the reason of death, it was used to say “a woman committed suicide with a weapon is a woman murdered”, today it is thought that the situation is more a suicide. Moreover, if we look to the crimes the women have committed, most of the murder crimes are committed with weapons.

8-Dear Dedeman, first of all we would like to thank you for sparing time to us and we would like to ask you a last question. The name of the Foundation is Umut (Hope) Foundation; are you hopeful about the future of Individual Disarmament?

Umut Foundation is currently a good example of a non-governmental organization completely institutionalized, directed with a professional staff. It is working for the benefit of the society in accordance with its aim. The Board of Trustees is constituted of opinion leaders who are capable of representing the Foundation by carrying it to international platforms. It has a Consulting Status to the United Nations. It never goes away from being scientific in all kind of its activities and the information it shares is reliable. That’s why it is perceived as a government auditor in the society and its opinion is always asked. Moreover, the concept of Individual Disarmament has been defined by Umut Foundation and has been accepted, citizens comprehended that individual armament is a social problem and the law maker is in a position of studying and talking this problem, and the most important thing is that the weapon lobby started to be annoyed of us which means that we have placed our opposition in the right platform and that we are efficient. Briefly, the weapon, which had been advertised as our tradition for years, has become an issue of debate recently.

When we look at all of this, I can say that we are Hopeful for the future…As we always say, for Futures with Full of Hope…