Ankara, Turkey – The parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have revealed plans to file a petition with an ombudsman citing rampant violations of the rights of special needs students within the nation’s public school system.
According to the parents’ lawyer, Sedef Erken, schools throughout Turkey are infringing upon their childrens’ fundamental right to receive the level and quality of education that is offered to their mainstream peers. With reports suggesting that there are over 450 000 children in Turkey with the disorder, the onus has been on the government to improve the standard of care and treatment provided to those with autism in recent years.
However, there continues to be a lack of awareness regarding ASD amongst the general public in addition to there being an inadequate amount of services generally made available to them both in the private and public sectors.
Many have also argued that the government has failed to implement policies geared towards ensuring that sufficient and appropriate educational opportunities are provided both during the childrens’ primary and pre-school years as well. Hence ultimately, the parents’ hope is that the petition will be presented in Parliament which will encourage the nation’s government to take action by addressing the issue in question.
The original article on the Hurriyet Daily News website can be read here