HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN THE TURKISH ARMED FORCES (TAF)

Various education and training units of TAF at different levels provide education in human rights with a view to raising consciousness among TAF personnel at the highest level about human rights, which increasingly gains importance, and to ensure that they have good knowledge about international treaties and conventions to which Turkey is a party. In this context, education provided by the Turkish Armed Forces is as follows:

• Human rights education provided at the schools and training centers:
  • "Democracy and Human Rights” course is provided weekly at the Military High Schools and Preparatory NCOs Band School as an elective course.
  • The course "Constitution Law" included by the curriculum of NCOs Vocational Higher-Education Schools cover the subject of human rights. NCOs Higher-Education School of Health Service provides knowledge on this subject under the heading of “Professional Ethics”.
  • The said education is provided to the cadets of "Social Sciences Department" at the military academy in the first class and to the cadets of "Engineering Department" in the second class in the "Fundamentals of Law" course. In addition, the cadets of the "Business and Public Administration Department" are provided with the Human Rights Law" course in the second class the cadets of the “International Relations Department” take the “Law of Armed Conflicts” course in the third class, the cadets of the “Public Administration Department” take the same course in the fourth class. Furthermore, students of the Gülhane Military Faculty of Medicine and Higher-Education School of Nursing are taught about human rights within the scope of main subjects “Professional and Medical Ethics.”
  • In War Colleges Command;
    • In the Army, Naval and Air War Colleges as well as the Command of Armed Forces High Command and Control Academy, "Law on the Operations other than War (Humanitarian Law)” and "The Law of Armed Conflicts" courses are provided,
    • During the whole Command and Staff Officers' Education, "The Law of Armed Conflicts" courses are provided in the form of conferences,
    • Within the scope of the Law of War/Operations Postgraduate Degree Program of the Strategic Researches Institute, the following courses are provided:
      • "The Law of Armed Conflicts",
      • "Human Rights and the Protection of Human Rights in the International Field",
      • "Terrorism and International Humanitarian Law" courses.
    • In the following courses provided in the TAF Partnership for Peace Training Center, the human right subjects are taught:
      • "The Law of Armed Conflict",
      • "United Nations Military Observer",
      • "Counter-Human Trafficking",
      • "Civil-Military Interaction".
    • In addition, there are personnel with postgraduate degree in human rights in the Army, Air Force and General Command of Gendarmerie.
• Officers, non-commissioned officers, specialized enlisted men and privates are provided with human rights education in the branch schools subordinate to Services, General Command of Gendarmerie and Cost Guard Command as well as in the courses opened by training central commands.
• In the primary training centers and the troops, rank and files are being educated on the topics below within the scope of “Civic Training for Conscripts”
  • Fundamental Human Rights Training
    • Definition of Human Rights,
    • Functions of Human Rights,
    • Content of Human Rights,
    • Mechanisms for Human Rights Protection.
  • Legal Empowerment Training
    • Fundamental Rights and Protection of Human Rights,
    • Fundamental Citizenship Rights, Rights to Work and Rights of Groups with Special Needs,
    • Basic Criminal Law,
    • Fundamental Civic Rights and Rights Related to the Legal Necessities of Civil Life.
  • Children’s Rights Training
    • Basic Concepts of Rights of the Child,
    • Education and Development of the Child,
    • The Right to Participation,
    • Violations of the Rights of the Child.
  • Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Training
    • Women and Education,
    • Women and Economic Life,
    • Women and Legal Equality,
    • Violence against Women.
• Various training provided in other units:
  • Those personnel serving in the military prisons and jails receive regular training in the courses annually opened in the Ministry of Justice Judicial Sentence Execution Institutions and Prisons Personnel Training Center Ankara under the protocols concluded between Ministry of National Defense and Ministry of Justice.
  • The official candidates who will be newly assigned to the Turkish Armed Forces are provided training in human rights in the orientation courses.
  • Those personnel participating in the Peace Support Operations and Internal Security Operations are provided with training in the rules to be applied regarding human rights.
  • "Course on International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Peace Operations" is received abroad within the scope of Foreign Professional Development Program.