Individual Disarmament and Violence News in Turkey Local Media Trainings
Tuesday, May the 13th 2008 at Anadolu Hall of the Congress Center at Anadolu University
The Text of Nazire Dedemans Speech
Distinguished guests,
Welcome all!
Violence became almost an inseparable part of our individual and social lives. The question Does violence exist naturally or is it something we learn later due to our living conditions and the environment we live in is a classical question in social psychology. Of course, as the laboratory of social sciences is the society and social living itself, it is needless to say that it takes a long time find clear and scientific answers to these questions.
The ones who say violence is learned are just as many as those who say violence is inborn. My personal opinion is the following: Living creatures have to adapt to nature in order to stay alive. Thus the human-violence relationship exists naturally and the social life shapes this relationship. This means minimizing violence and also increasing it depend on our social existence, how we are brought up and the characteristics of our social relationships in life.
Personal armament is violence is the peak level of violence. Each year an average of 3000 people lose their lives due to firearms in our country. Approximately 700 of these 3000 people are killed due to accidents with firearms.
The harm caused to humans by personal armament throughout the world is equal to conventional armament: We know from IANSAs (International Action Network on Small Arms) statistics that 1000 people are killed by firearms per day. 250 of these are deaths caused by wars; whereas 750 of these lose their lives due to causes such as homicides, suicides and accidents using firearms.
Again according to IANSAs data 875 million guns are in use in the world. 74%, i.e. the majority of these guns is in possession of civilians. This number shows that personal armament is more than the armament of states and thus it is a very important problem throughout the world.
I would like to emphasize the fact that there have been positive developments in our country regarding personal armament, which is a serious fundamental problem. The blank-firing guns, which are an invisible but an important of the problem ad unfortunately regarded as toys within the society, are commonly used in crimes. A new law on these guns which have not just been killing and injuring many of our citizens when modified and used; but also causing the same harm when they are fired at a close range even if they have not been modified, was enacted in February. Thus the legal gap regarding blank-firing guns was filled.
However, as the enforcement of this law depends on the completion of the regulations related to this law, the problem regarding blank firing guns still continues. In order to resolve this issue fully, the work on this regulations should be completed soonest possible. I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Beşir Atalay, our Minister of Internal Affairs for his contributions and support during the law creation process and ask for his support so that the issue is fully resolved and ask for the completion of the regulation soonest possible.
Dear Friends,
The function gun, which we accept as a cultural characteristic and practically see as a social communication tool in expressing excitement, anger, fury and hostility in fact just killing or injuring people. It has no other use. This simple reason alone should be sufficient for us to be against personal armament. But just being against it does not help, we should warn and inform the people we live with in order to prevent the increase of violence.
The most important impulsive force in social change and in making the society conscious is without a doubt the media. As journalists, you have a very important responsibility and duty here.
Violence news are no longer just on the third pages of newspapers, they are all over the newspapers and in all media. These news, which are perhaps the most read and draw the most attention tell the media audience about experiences and stories of people as part of daily living. Well, are our journalist friends, who are the witnesses of these news and incidents, as some sort of storytellers aware that they are shaping the social opinions and behavior? As storytellers are the journalists aware of the responsibility they carry?
All these questions are the basis of our training seminar today. For this purpose, in order to create an objective viewpoint in line with the requirements of the profession for the media, which is the most important communicative and revolutionary force in our country and especially the local media when reporting issues regarding violence and personal armament to the society we have gathered here to realize the third Local Media Training Seminar of the Personal Disarmament and Violence News in Turkey Project.
Our program today consists of 2 sessions: During the first session in the morning occupational principles of journalism, personal disarmament and newsworthiness of violence and media literacy topics will be discussed. During the second session after lunch topics we will become more informed about social gender and human rights in violence news.. .
Thereafter, our speakers, chairs and you our journalists friends, we will all get together during the debate session on The Outlook of Local Media on Violence Journalism. This session of mutual discussions is extremely important as it will reveal the way we look at the topic. Thus we would like to ask you take part in the final session and share with us your opinions, questions and evaluations.
Following this session we will be honored to present you your certificates.
I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone who took part in the organization of this event; our speakers Associate Doc. Dr. Esra Arsan, Att Filiz Kerestecioğlu, Serpil Çamoğlu, Associate Doc. Dr. Hakan Ergül, Att. Fikret İlkiz and Psychiatrist Dr. Ayhan Akcan, Nail Güreli; our Chairs Hüsnü Arslan and Prof. Dr. Ali Murat Vural.
Additionally I would like to thank Anadolu University and its Rector Prof. Dr. Fevzi Sürmeli for their valuable contributions..
And finally I would like to tender my thanks to the Rector, Prof. Dr. Yılmaz Büyükerşen, Mayor of the Metropolitan and Kadir Çalışıcı, the Governor for honoring our seminar with their opening speeches. .
I would like t welcome you all once more.. And I wish for a fruitful and fun seminar with a high level of participation.
With hope for tomorrow...