Today, KHRP is participating in the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights review of Turkey’s report on its compliance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. KHRP expects that the Committee will raise concerns it highlighted in its submission to the Committee last year on Turkey’s compliance, as well as gauging Turkey's overall progress in respecting, protecting and fulfilling the Covenant rights for all its citizens.

Turkey's obligations under several of the articles in the Covenant are of particular concern to KHRP. In terms of the right to self-determination, Turkey needs to be pressed to ensure that it fulfills its obligations in this area and for its Kurdish citizens to be able to have meaningful participation in society, particularly in light of continued repression and attacks on fundamental political freedoms that should be enjoyed by all regardless of cultural background. KHRP has also raised concerns regarding education rights, noting that there remains an alarming disparity in literacy rates between Turkey's Kurdish minority and the rest of the population. Turkey's limits on expression of Kurdish culture and language are having profound effects both in respect to education and employment, and KHRP urges the Committee to appropriately address this violation of several Covenant rights during Turkey's review. Recently, KHRP has focussed extensively on the situation of children in the region and believes that Turkey must be urged to improve its respect for the Covenant rights of children immediately.

Rachel Bernu, KHRP Managing Director, said “Turkey's respect for Economic, Social and Cultural rights varies greatly, and whilst it has made some progress, the situation in the region remains unacceptable. As a party to the Covenant, Turkey should be urged to take all necessary steps to remedy the concerns raised at the Committee, as well as making a firm commitment to ensure that it fulfills its human rights obligations with respect to all of its citizens. KHRP will continue to advocate on behalf of the Kurds in this region and elsewhere, and hopes that Turkey's review will represent genuine and tangible progress in respect for human rights in the region”.