Party chief in Turkey says nation has clean record on children's rights

By Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey has a clear record on protecting children's rights, the head of a major political party in the country said on Tuesday.

"It is known, as a country, we are an open party to the regulations and conventions adopted by the United Nations on protecting children's rights," said Devlet Bahceli, speaking to his Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) parliamentary group,

Criticizing the "contradictory" assumptions of a recent report by the US State Department on trafficking in persons, Bahceli said: "The US attempt to defame Turkey is both a hypocritical and futile effort."

Washington on June 30 added Turkey and 15 other countries to the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) list -- a designation included in the State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report that ranks countries in various tiers in accordance with their efforts to eliminate trafficking.

The list includes Afghanistan, Burma, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Venezuela, and Yemen.

Bahceli also accused the US of having links to PKK/YPG terror organization, "which uses children in terrorist acts."

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.