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September 1997
FOREWORD
Nazire Dedeman
Founder President of Umut Foundation
Since its establishment in 1993, Umut Foundation has been organizing Personal Disarmament award contests and promoting the exploration of the reasons for the fast-increasing need of the individuals in our society to keep guns. Thus it aims to strengthen the presence of the state governed by the rule of law by helping to prevent the development of brutal force and violence. Recently we have all observed the fact that uncontrolled armament has grown to frightening proportions. The fact that tens of people were injured and killed due to unconscious usage of guns during events such as entertainment and celebrations has been in the headlines of the Turkish media many times. And those people who lost their lives were always the innocent ones.
In our country the rate of keeping personal arms and those the rate of using them has been increasing. Using a gun is the ultimate level of violence. Extreme tendency towards violence and usage of guns can arise from psychological reasons from lack of self-expression and extreme insecurity to personality disorder. Therefore violence and usage of guns are a social health problem. We know that not just the usage of guns but possession of guns is also harmful to human health. Under any circumstances guns bring about pain and grief to the family.
Due to guns in irresponsible hands, the successive disappointing events make us all lose our social confidence. Our people not valuing each other, lack of education, our institutions not fully meeting their responsibilities create an uncontrolled and insensible and leave us with a big problem and disorder.
People long for a peaceful way of living more and more and they worry more and more about the future. Whats worse, the visible side of violence no longer terrifies us that much. People become inured to violence and its tool, guns, as they spread; they become ordinary
Violence and guns are not methods of expressing emotions. On the contrary violence and guns are lack of expression. We, as the Umut Foundation have always fought against violence, against guns against the violence becoming common. I believe with the effective language the art of cartoons uses, it accomplishes its duty of making a warning about violence and guns.
I would like to congratulate those who have received an award at the 3rd Personal Disarmament Cartoon Award Contest on No joking with guns and thank all those who have participated with their cartoons, The Association of Cartoonists, distinguished jury members and everyone who contributed.
With hope for tomorrow
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