President of the Turkish Association of People with Disabilities: "We get our powers from the second article of the Constitution"

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Turan: First of all, we express our condolences to Turkey for the earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaraş province on February 6. It is claimed that the first response to the most severe earthquake that occurred in these lands was delayed again. How do you assess?

Boyraz: The earthquake has deeply wounded and shaken us all. A piece of our hearts has been left under the earthquake avalanche. May God have mercy upon our compatriots who died, and I wish the injured to recover soon.

As everyone knows, strong earthquakes often occur in an important part of Turkey due to active seismic zones. 36 years after the 1903 earthquake that occurred in Malazgirt town of Mush province, in the earthquake that occurred in Erzincan province in December 1939, 116,720 buildings completely collapsed, more than 32,000 people died, more than 100,000 people were injured, and about 30,000 people became disabled. In August 1999, 18,300 citizens died, 49,000 were injured, and 22,000 became disabled in the earthquake that occurred in Golcuk settlement of Izmit province. In the subsequent earthquakes of Duzce, Elazig, and Izmir, many of our citizens died, were injured, and became disabled.

Finally, the number of people who died in the earthquake that occurred on February 6, 2023, in Kahramanmaraş province, not only limited to our 11 provinces but also affected the territory of Syria, is increasing every day. Considering the number of people rescued, the number of people trapped under the avalanche scares us all. From the time we woke up to the news of the earthquake, we witnessed people in difficult situations in the region, asking for help through social media. It is a bitter reality that requests from the regions cannot be met in time. The most important complaints in these cases are due to the inability of the relevant institutions to quickly intervene in the current situation. While the first 48 hours are vitally important for avalanche survivors, it has been found that timely intervention was not provided. Despite the fact that 3 weeks have passed, the needs of the people affected by the earthquake have not yet been met, and many of their problems have not been resolved.

From a scientific point of view, we see that this earthquake is expected to occur in the region. In this regard, AFAD, the official body of the state, has prepared a report. However, aside from the fact that no effective measures against earthquakes have been taken, we see that a large amount of money has been stolen from the work of increasing the earthquake resistance of old buildings in cities and towns.

It is unacceptable for authorized representatives to turn a blind eye to them. Most of the construction companies close to the government are responsible for this level of destruction in the earthquake without realizing their responsibility, only to make money. State bodies such as AFAD, established and given full authority by the government, and especially the municipalities managed by the ruling party, have given insulting answers to the media representatives who tried to bring this up as they delayed the work that should be done in the field of eliminating the first consequences of the earthquake.

In the first statements of AFAD, the name of the Directorate of Religious Affairs is mentioned. However, according to the law, the Directorate of Religious Affairs has nothing to do with earthquake work. From the first day, we see that hundreds of Non-Governmental Organizations are doing their best to eliminate the consequences of the earthquake and help the victims in the regions. The Turkish Red Crescent Society is among the most dissatisfied institutions. It turned out that this well-established organization sold tents to an NGO established a few years ago. On the eve of the elections, turning the issue of the earthquake into a propaganda tool is hurting people morally. It is surprising that tenders for the construction of new residential buildings in the region are held in a hurry, as the ministries do not cope with their work with dignity.

It would be a mistake to scapegoat a few contractors in these cases. Because there are several institutions and persons responsible for any construction work. Therefore, the person responsible for the collapse of the buildings should be punished equal to murder.

Turan: You said that the number of crippled and disabled people in Turkey may exceed 20 million after the earthquake. As an experienced NGO leader, what do you base this prediction on?

Boyraz: From the first minutes of the earthquake, the city centers came to the fore. However, districts, settlements, and villages should be equally important. The rescue teams could not reach there in time. Days pass but we still don't know exactly how many people died, how many were buried under the avalanche, and how many are missing. On February 24, AFAD announced that approximately 45,000 people had died, and 500,000 people had been displaced from the regions affected by the earthquake. If we consider that 4 people live in each apartment, it makes 2 million people.

I would like to reiterate that this figure refers to urban centers. Statistical information about districts, settlements, and villages has not yet been released. We fear that the number of people trapped under the avalanches will be large. One of the reasons for this is that many refugees who came to the region in the last 12 years live without registration. Despite our requests for years, information on the registration of classified disabled persons in Turkey has not been announced to the public. Therefore, according to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons signed by Turkey, the duty of the state is to collect and publish this information, take measures, and carry out rehabilitation. Since these things have not been done, 12.29% of the country's population is thought to be disabled. Based on this, we can estimate that there are approximately 1 million 700 thousand disabled citizens in 11 provinces where 14 million citizens and refugees live. We can say that the number of injured survivors of the earthquake (if we take into account that some of them were under the avalanche for a long time) will increase the number of physically or chronically disabled people. We can also add negative situations that will appear from a psychological point of view.

Turan: The NGO you lead has branches in almost every province of Turkey. Can you tell us about your organizational methods and what you do?

Boyraz: The Turkish Association of People with Disabilities was established in 1960 in the Fatih district of Istanbul. In 1963, by the decision of the Council of Ministers, the Association was given the status of “Public Institution”. Since the main goal of the Association, which is organized nationwide, is to solve the problems arising from disability, it directed the work done in this direction. Bringing our disabled citizens together, and even identifying and solving the problems of people who have difficulty leaving home are our main tasks.

As the scope of our work has expanded, the number of our branches across the country has also increased. When carrying out our work based on the principle of volunteerism, we ask for the support of the government and local self-government bodies when necessary. We are doing our best to make disabled people equal citizens of our country, and we have succeeded to a great extent.

Turan: What kind of work does the Turkish Association of People with Disabilities, which has been operating since 1960, plan to do in the next stage to apply its experience in the country and abroad?

Boyraz: Looking at the statutes of 90% of the associations created to solve the problems of disabled people in our country, we see that the main goal is to collect aid. Here, there is a constant consciousness of charity. However, the main goal of NGOs should be to identify and solve the vital problems of the groups they serve. In accordance with the constitution of our country, it should be our main duty to be interested in and solve all the problems of our disabled citizens from birth to death. But unfortunately, 90% of our associations only and only collect aid, and this situation worries us. However, the main goal and task should be for disabled and crippled people to live without feeling the need for any help. Since its foundation, our association has defended the rights of disabled people and fought for the elimination of their problems. From this point of view, one of the two NGOs that is an example for Turkey and the world is the Turkish Association of People with Disabilities, and the second is the Six Point Association for the Blind.

Both associations are very different in terms of the number of members and the work they do, and their names come to the forefront. Accreditation of both institutions at the UN is the result of the work done and still being done. We prepare reports and submit them to UN-affiliated institutions and organizations, and we achieve that Turkey uses its rights arising from the signed conventions.

Turan: The consequences of the earthquake have not been completely removed yet. What preparation plans do you have for the new period?

Boyraz: As after every earthquake, our work became more difficult after the February 6 earthquake too. Because the increase in the number of disabled people as a result of the earthquake will require us to work harder and we will continue to work tirelessly. First of all, we will retire our citizens disabled in the earthquake. After that, we will solve all the requirements of the crippled and disabled, from medicine to prosthetics, from treatment to rehabilitation. This right is given to us by the words “social state” in the second article of our Constitution.

Turan: The recent earthquake once again showed the importance of the role of NGOs in Turkish public life. Can we get your ideas for NGOs to play a more active role in the future of the country?

Boyraz: Just as NGOs played a major role in the preparation of Turkey's Natural Disaster Response Plan, they also performed their duties wholeheartedly in the February 6 earthquake. They implemented this aspect not because they included it in the Plan, but because they felt the responsibility of the task they took on as part of the society they came from. This is clearly visible in countries with a weak democratic system like ours.

Therefore, when the importance of the organization of all sections of society in every issue is combined with the reality of the earthquake, it turns out that our citizens have greater responsibilities. We have to get organized and raise our voices louder, we have to stand up to those who do wrong things as a united nation.