The March Of Silent Shoes
28 September 2006
Taksim Square
Nazire Dedeman
Founder President of Umut Foundation
Speech Text
Dear Guests,
Welcome!
We have come here today to call attention to our citizens of the result of personal armament on human life. We are here today to remember those who have lost their lives as a result of bullets fired from a gun, often from an unknown place, whether at the end of football matches, in weddings, on report days, in their homes, while walking on the street or while going to work, and those who are constantly reminded of their pain having been left crippled, as a result of personal armament.
We are here today to call attention to the disaster of the toddlers who had yet to see their second birthdays, shot by their brothers from a gun belonging to their Fathers, the young 14 year old girls shot by their neighbours, the youths who though not even 18 find themselves the accidental target of gun terror just as they are finishing school, the doctors who are shot as they are entering hospital from the car park and the lawyers who are shot when they are walking into the law courts.
We are here today to show that we stand as one to fight the terror of personal armament, for the sake of the 3,000 people who lose their life because of personal armament, the people who have been wronged and those closest to them, to say what those with a sense of responsibility and citizenship will not have to say, to call an end to personal armament and to prevent further murder and pain.
Last year, the number of licensed weapons in circulation rose by 8% compared to the previous year to 2,316,600. Even according to the most optimistic estimates, the number of unlicensed weapons is 2 ½ to 3 times higher. There are now around 8.7 million individual weapons in our country. Another way of putting it is that there is one weapon for every eight people in our population. If we count the families of those who have a weapon as part of their job, we find that around 34 million people are in a position to access a weapon at any time
If we are not aware of the barrel of the gun, security is the excuse a third of people give for arming themselves. This means that 3 million people do not feel safe, 3 million people who feel their life is in danger and it is this which drives people to have weapons in their homes. By trying to raise their security, they are actually raising the danger to the security of their families and those around them.
As far as the penal code is concerned, those who use a weapon, possess an unlicensed weapon and fire a weapon in the air in a crowded place face stiffer penalties. However, the main deterrent this is not ever harsher penalties, but to ensure that everyone without exception follows the law and that the guilty are not left unpunished.
Under the law, everyone has the same rights The most important of these rights is the right for people to lead their lives without fear. However, when everywhere is full of weapons and when one in three homes has a weapon, are we in a position to talk about our right to life being fully protected?
Can those whose lives have been cut short by a bullet fired from an unknown gun, or those who have been lift crippled, say that their right to life is fully protected?
When some state organisations introduce ways of making it easier to obtain weapons, are we in a position to talk about our right to life being protected?
When people in our country who should be setting an example instead show off their weapons and say in our culture there are weapons, can we be sure than our publics right to life is being protected properly?
Yes! We can! By all of you being here today, with the effect of showing your feeling
By showing once again that you have civil rights, that you know how to be responsible citizens
I am sure that not just ourselves but those who have so far not raised their voices will all defend our right to life and say stop to armament, the biggest threat now facing the right to life of our general public.
The number of weapon owners is increasing every year Uncontrolled arming has reached terrifying proportions in our country. Even though the bullet from the barrel of a gun will, sooner or later, result in the end of a life, generally someones nearest or dearest, people are still arming. They are deliberately keeping a tool of murder at their side. So sadly, the very weapons which are intended to protect, do not protect but kill.
The number of those owning weapons is increasing, but at the same time the number of those saying Enough arming, now it is time to stop is also increasing. The danger of weapons in civil society has reached such a level that knowledge alone cannot rid the problem. With the initiative and leadership of the Umut Foundation, civil society is taking binding decisions to stop weapons being brought to weddings and similar events and acknowledging the danger brought by licensed weapons. Society is also protesting against campaigns which promote arming, and our representatives now have to pay more attention to the public anger on the issue of arming.
I believe that with the help of our responsible and respectful citizens we will win our struggle against murder and the potential to own weapons, not just for those who claim their rights but for the others as well.
I believe that, the steadily rising voice among civil society will force changes to our law, that new laws will be drawn up to bring about an end to personal armament and that the weapons will all be gathered up
I believe that as the awareness of spreading peace and understanding between our citizens improves, personal armament will come to an end.
I believe that we will see those days all together!
I believe that with your help, those days are just around the corner.
For our tomorrows, full of hope
Nazire Dedeman
Umut Foundation
Founding President