Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş published a video message on family and population policies. Göktaş said that 57% of households have no children under the age of 18.
Göktaş said they regarded protecting the family institution and a dynamic population structure as priorities. She said that multifaceted population policies had been developed in line with the vision of the Decade of Family and Population, along with reform-oriented mechanisms to support families.
Emphasis on the family
In her message, Göktaş said that hearing more children’s voices and seeing family stories grow from one generation to the next were among her greatest wishes. She described the family as a safe harbor and a valuable refuge.
Göktaş said that the absence of a child meant more than silence in the home and could also lead to losses in relationships among siblings, nieces and nephews, and the extended family. She said homes filled with children’s voices would increase society’s joy.
Call for television programs
In her message, Göktaş also referred to Chef Mehmet Yalçınkaya’s remarks on declining birth rates during a television program and thanked Yalçınkaya for raising awareness.
Göktaş said that issues concerning population and families should be addressed more frequently in television programs and series, drawing attention to the experiences of generations raised in extended families.