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The exhibition, entitled Child Protection from Independence to the Future focuses on child protection, which came to the forefront in the 19th century when the Ottoman Empire’s territorial losses, migration movements and successive wars left many children orphaned and in need of state protection, and the child protection practices that were put on a foundation with the efforts of innovative statesmen and intellectuals under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the modern Republic of Türkiye.

The issue of the protection of orphaned children, which became a significant concern due to the prolonged and recurrent conflicts, soon evolved into a matter of social responsibility, giving rise to the Children’s Cause, which is defined as the ideal of raising healthy, educated children, equipped with the requisite skills and knowledge for their age, who will ensure the future of a nation and a homeland. This concept has led to the formation of more organizational structures and policies to meet the needs of orphans and children in need of care.

While focusing on the child protection practices that were laid on a foundation with the efforts of innovative statesmen and intellectuals under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the exhibition will also showcase Kâzım Karabekir Pasha’s struggle for children at the front, The Himaye-i Etfal Society, founded under difficult economic conditions with the dedication of Fuat Umay, Child Protection Agency of Turkey, which considers raising healthy, happy and educated children as a national cause, and Atatürk Children’s Home, the first children’s home of the Republic of Turkey, which is a model for its counterparts in Turkey and abroad with the well-equipped services it provides.

The exhibition, which was prepared by Koç University VEKAM in collaboration with KOREV and with the contributions of Çankaya Municipality on the occasion of the founding anniversary of the Himaye-i Etfal Society is scheduled to be on display at Çankaya Municipality Zülfü Livaneli Cultural Center between June 25 and July 15, 2024.