Önce Çocuklar Derneği

Children First Association

Children First Association was established in Diyarbakır in 2017 with the aim of working for the psycho-social, cultural-artistic, linguistic, mental, and physical development of children within the framework of the Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as of supporting people and organizations working on this issue. It has been carrying out its activities within the province of Diyarbakır. 

The founding purpose of the association is to protect the fundamental rights of children and to support children. It focuses on children's right to life, right to health, right to protection from physical, psychological, and sexual abuse as well as right to mother tongue and cultural rights. In all its activities, the association adopts a rights-based and egalitarian approach. Each of its activities focuses on children's fundamental rights, their access to these rights, equal opportunities, and rights violations. Following its work on cultural rights and the right to mother tongue, for the last two years Children First Association has prioritized work on monitoring children’s rights and reporting rights violations. It adopts and applies in its activities the principle that every child has the right to receive education in his/her mother tongue, to learn and keep alive his/her own culture and cultural values.