DIYARBAKIR - The United Nations Children`s Fund (UNICEF) Turkey representative Edmond McLoughney said, ``Turkish society attributes more importance to men, thus 640,000 girls are not sent to schools although they are at the age of starting school.``
McLoughney visited southeastern Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir and Mardin cities as a part of ``Advocacy Campaign for Girls` Education``.
McLoughney told A.A that UNICEF has carried out a research in Turkey and upon the results it started ``Advocacy Campaign for Girls` Education`` in cooperation with Turkish National Education Ministry.
``The campaign started in eastern city of Van last year. 40,000 girls have been enrolled in schools under the campaign in 2003,`` said McLoughney. ``Our target is to enroll a total of 600,000 girls by the end of 2005,`` he added .
McLoughney said, ``according to researches, families do not send their girls to school as they do not have financial means, however, they (same families) send their boys to school.``
``One of the most important reasons why families do not send girls to school is tradition and predominant mentality. Turkey attributes more importance to men. This chain will be broken with the campaign we have started. An important step will be taken for social gender equality,`` said McLoughney.
Recalling, ``10 cities in East and Southeast Anatolia regions are taken within the scope of the campaign last year,`` McLoughney said, ``the campaign continues more intensively and covers 33 cities this year. These cities are the most problematic ones. Besides regional cities, this year we have included cities like Istanbul, Izmir and Manisa in the campaign.``
McLoughney said, ``main strategy of the campaign is visits made to houses. Our teams visit houses and try to convince parents to send their girls to school.``
UNICEF has contributed 700,000 U.S. dollars to the campaign so far, it was learned.
(GC-ULG) 16.09.2004