Sessiz Kalma: Bir Çocuğun Hayatı Değişebilir | Yücel Ceylan | TEDxPalmiye Youth

Quick Overview

The speaker, Yücel Ceylan, a founder and deputy general manager of UCIM, recounts his personal and professional commitment to fighting child abuse, detailing the development and expansion of the organization across Turkey and their ongoing legal and educational efforts to protect children.

Key Points: Yücel Ceylan is the founder and deputy general manager of UCIM (Uçim Kurucu Genel Başkan Yardımcısı), an organization dedicated to fighting child abuse. Ceylan shared a personal story about his mother, an educator who strongly believed in protecting children, which inspired his work. UCIM has established general centers in various cities including Mersin, Ankara, Diyarbakır, Giresun, and Niğde, and they handle cases across Turkey. The organization has dealt with cases involving children of various ages, including a 9-year-old who was taken to a hotel and a 12-year-old whose father was a suspect. Ceylan noted the significant number of legal cases they handle, mentioning 14,000 files in 2016 and 63,000 files by 2020, and they continue to fight against perpetrators. He emphasized that the fight against child abuse should not be politicized, contrasting their non-partisan efforts with the political nature of some legal proceedings they encounter. The speaker highlighted the continuous need for support and education, noting that they provide training on combating sexual abuse and other issues.

Context: The video features Yücel Ceylan, identified as a founder and deputy general manager of UCIM (Uçim Kurucu Genel Başkan Yardımcısı), giving a presentation at a TEDxPalmiye Youth event. Ceylan shares deeply personal anecdotes from his life, particularly concerning his mother's influence and the genesis of his organization's mission to combat child abuse, detailing the challenges, expansion, and legal work undertaken by UCIM.

Detailed Analysis

Yücel Ceylan begins by sharing that he is one of 12 children of a mother who was not a writer but instilled strong values. He recounts an early experience where he tried to earn 2.5 Lira for bread for his mother, who was struggling financially after his father lost his job in Erzurum. This experience shaped his empathetic view of poverty and struggle. Ceylan then transitions to the founding of UCIM, stating that the actual struggle began when he realized the prevalence of child exploitation. He mentions that while people often ask if they are political, he emphasizes that their work is humanitarian, stating that the courts and political figures often fail these children. Ceylan recounts that they established the first general center in Mersin and later expanded across Turkey, including cities like Tekirdağ, Diyarbakır, Giresun, and Niğde, with over 300 volunteers and 20 lawyers involved. He shares specific harrowing cases, such as a 9-year-old taken to a hotel and a 12-year-old whose father was a suspect. He mentions that the number of cases they deal with is substantial, citing figures like 14,000 files in 2016 growing to 63,000 by 2020. Ceylan stresses that the real fight is against the culture that allows abuse, not against individuals, urging the audience to support their work and not to succumb to hopelessness, as their efforts are focused on protecting children regardless of their background.