Turkish children who are taken from their homes should be fostered or adopted by Turkish families so they don’t lose their heritage, says Director of the Umut Yıldızı Association Kamil Altay
Turks in Germany’s Düsseldorf rallied to demand that youth offices, which resettle Turkish children who are from unstable families, “preserve the rights of the children.”
The demonstrators, who attended the rally in front of a central train station waving Turkish flags, requested that these children be primarily adopted by their relatives or other Turkish families so as not to be estranged from their native tongue, culture and religious values.
Director of the Umut Yıldızı (Star of Hope) Association Kamil Altay, who attended the event, said youth offices had a sacred role to play here, but that there are some kinks and errors in the practice.
“Since 1995, 700,000 children in Germany were taken under protection. Last year alone, of the 61,383 children taken under protection, 37,801 were registered as ‘not of German origin.’ It isn’t clear how many of them are of Turkish origin. These children are losing their heritage at orphanages or in the homes of German foster parents,” Altay said.
He concluded by urging Germany to notify the Turkish consulate of these children who are taken under protection, and for them to be fostered or adopted by Turkish families who can keep their native tongue alive and teach them their culture and values.
Among the country’s nearly 4.7 million Muslims, three million are of Turkish origin. Many of them migrated to Germany in the 1960s.
