Our Minister of Family and Social Services, Derya Yanık, visited Osmaniye, which was affected by the earthquakes on February 6, centered in Kahramanmaraş.

Minister Derya Yanık, accompanied by Governor Erdinç Yılmaz and Niğde Governor Mustafa Koç, who was appointed as the coordinator of the city, met with the relevant people at the Osmaniye Disaster Coordination Centre within the scope of their programs in the city.

In the meeting, which was closed to the press, Yanık received information from the authorities about the works in the city.

Later, Yanık, who went to Osmaniye State Hospital, paid a visit to İsmail Kaba, Head of Osmaniye Branch of the Turkish Association of War Veterans with Disabilities, Martyrs, Widows and Orphans, whose wife and 4 children died in the earthquake, and to the earthquake victim Mustafa Elmas, who lost his mother, father and two siblings in the disaster.

Minister Yanık expressed her condolences to Kaba and Elmas, and conveyed her best wishes.

In a statement after her examinations at the Disaster Emergency Social Assistance (ASYA) In-kind Donation Receiving Warehouse, Yanık stated that she visited the wounded who were being treated at Osmaniye State Hospital after the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes.

Indicating that 996 people lost their lives in the earthquake in Osmaniye and 3 people with life-threatening injuries were in intensive care, Yanık said that Türkiye was going through a very difficult process.

Reminding that tent and container cities continue to be established in the region and the delivery of other aids, Yanık noted that approximately 935 thousand of 4,371 personnel in the earthquake region and 3 thousand 870 personnel in the provinces where earthquake victims were evacuated, made approximately 450 thousand psychosocial support interviews.

Yanık stated that 8 thousand 241 personnel in the earthquake region made approximately 1 million 390 thousand meetings during the earthquake.

"We transferred 1 billion 222 million liras to our citizens and foundations"

Noting that there are 84 in-kind donation depots in the earthquake zone and other provinces, Yanık said: "We have brought 17,530 trucks of in-kind aid in these depots only under the responsibility of our Ministry."

Yanık stated that there are 203 social markets in the earthquake zone and 10 mobile social markets for those who have difficulty in reaching in-kind aids, and continued as follows:

“To date, we have distributed approximately 57 million products in 62 similar items such as 2 million 950 thousand blankets, 800 thousand beds and quilts, 307 thousand electric heaters, 2 million food parcels. Following the earthquake, we sent 271 million Turkish liras in cash to 10 provinces and two districts. With periodic shares and additional periodic shares, we have transferred a total of 1 billion 222 million liras to our citizens and foundations within the scope of disasters.”

"533 older persons and 1133 persons with disabilities were evacuated"

Noting that 533 older persons and 1133 persons with disabilities were evacuated from the institutions within the Ministry, where services for persons with disabilities, older persons, women and children are provided, Yanık said that 249 older persons and 848 persons with disabilities were evacuated from dormitories, hotels, and tent and container cities to different provinces.

Yanık stated that they started to establish workshops for the rehabilitation of women in the earthquake region and emphasized that there were no casualties in the organizations where services for persons with disabilities, older persons, women and children were provided, and that the damage would be repaired.

Minister Yanik continued her words as follows:

“As of today, we have delivered 1649 of the 1915 unaccompanied children registered in our system to their families, we have 174 children who are currently followed up in the hospital and 92 children who are taken into institutional care. There are 1837 children whose identity is known and 78 whose identity is unknown from 1915 children. We are working with the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Health to identify them as well. Apart from these, we have been informed that 318 of our children, whom we have identified in hospitals and other units, have passed away. There are also children who have been buried and whose treatment continues in the intensive care unit, whose DNA we are currently trying to match. We perform our necessary services related to these without interruption with other institutions and organizations.

"Political abuse should not be carried out over children"

Emphasizing that they will continue to work for the recovery, care and supervision of unaccompanied earthquake victims or children living with their families but with severe trauma, Yanık made the following assessment:

“It is not possible for us to accept or ignore any neglect or intent regarding our children. We accept the discussions started on children in this way. We see it as an intention towards children. In such a difficult process, at a time when we need unity, we are open to all kinds of contributions and suggestions, but political abuse should not be carried out over children.”

She Visited Osmaniye Chamber of Commerce and Industry

During her visit to the Osmaniye Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Minister Yanık said that they faced a severe disaster that affected 11 provinces in the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquake on 6 February.

Indicating that approximately 13.5 million people were affected by the earthquakes, Yanık said that in Osmaniye, where 996 people lost their lives, more than 230 buildings were destroyed in the first major earthquake in Pazarcık, and that approximately 660 buildings should be demolished immediately.

Noting that all units of the state took action from the first moment of the earthquake, Yanık continued as follows:

“When we look at all 11 provinces, we are going through an extremely intense process, but thankfully, from the first minute, all our state institutions, our ministers under the leadership of our President, all of us dispersed to the region, the necessary coordination was started immediately, AFAD coordination centres were established, and we were quickly organized with our governors and representatives of other institutions and organizations and we tried to heal the wounds of our nation. Of course, following a process that affects so many people in such a wide area is not easy for each of us, when we put before us the fact that those who provide the service are also victims of the earthquake, but our nation is strong, it is a great nation. This nation of ours has always known how to overcome difficulties. Hopefully it will continue to do so in the future.”

"We are a society that is generous, likes to share, and likes to open its arms to everyone"

Yanık emphasized that it is also important for industrialists, traders, artisans and farmers to continue their production activities in this process.

Indicating that they will eliminate the results and effects of this destruction together with production, Yanık said, “If production continues, we will intensify our construction activities. If production continues, we will meet the housing needs of our citizens as soon as possible. If production continues, social recovery begins quickly, social rehabilitation begins by itself. Therefore, with the continuation of production of our industrialists and businesspersons, the return of production activities and perhaps even an increase, we will quickly eliminate the destruction here, and we will quickly move to the construction phase.”

Indicating that they have obligations at the point of competing in charity, Yanık stated that when this is done, it has a healing effect on the solidarity of the nation within itself.

Emphasizing that Osmaniye has an exceptional place in terms of its human resources, wealth of the land, and the devotion of its people to its state and nation, Yanık said:

“Our people are a society that keeps its hopes alive for the future with the importance it attaches to education, the value it places on the upbringing of its children, is devoted to its state, nation and belief, cares about wisdom, its soil is fertile, therefore extremely generous, loves to share, and likes to open its arms to everyone. Therefore, if Allah wills, Osmaniye will continue to be one of the exemplary cities of our country in the upcoming period, and one of the cities that will set an example in terms of healing the wounds of the earthquake. I strongly believe in this. I wish us all 'get well'”

Yanik thanking Devrim Murat Aksoy, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and his friends in the administration, said: “. I especially want it to be known that we, as a ministry, are ready for all kinds of support, as a child of this land, and we are ready to contribute in any way, regarding the needs and wishes of our industrialists and businessmen in the upcoming period, and we are ready to contribute to the earthquake zone.”

Minister Yanik also visited a textile factory in Osmaniye Organized Industrial Zone with her entourage, got information from the authorities about the work and chatted with the workers.

"Some news has started to circulate intentionally accusing our Ministry"

After visiting the earthquake victims who were placed in KYK dormitory in Kadirli, Minister Yanık held a press conference at Korkut Ata University Kadirli Campus.

Reminding that the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş on February 6 directly affected 11 provinces and 13.5 million citizens, Yanık said that healing the wounds of the earthquake is not something that can be done in a short time.

Pointing out that despite the magnitude of the disaster, the state and the nation work together to heal the wounds of the citizens and return them to their normal lives, Yanık said:

“As the Ministry, we have two important responsibilities in disaster and emergency situations. The first of these is in-kind aids, and the other is psychosocial support services. I shared with the public what we were doing about it. Despite this, some news that deliberately accuse and implicate our Ministry began to be circulated in some media organs, especially regarding our services for children. One of them is the news that 1100 earthquake victims were found in Menzil village of Kahta district of Adıyaman. We accept all such reports as notifications and do what is necessary. As a matter of fact, our friends went to this place and made an examination. They investigated whether there were 1100 children as claimed or whether they were unaccompanied and whether they should be placed under state protection. At the mentioned point, they determined that there was no unaccompanied child, the children found were with their parents, and there was no earthquake victim child who needed state protection.”

"It is out of the question for us to give away any of our unaccompanied children"

Emphasizing that they did not leave the earthquake victims and unaccompanied children to anyone, Yanık said:

“Until now, we have not even started the foster family process for third parties, and we have insisted that we have not. We hand over our children whose families we have identified and who can be returned to their families if they are alive, if not, to their relatives if their identities are proved. Therefore, is it out of the question for us to give any of our unaccompanied children to any third party under no circumstances. These news are published persistently and will continue to be published in this process. We will continue to emphasize that these are lies and that those who make these news are lying.

Minister Yanık stated that they expect the news about unaccompanied children to continue to be published until 14 May and said:

“They will continue to carry out a political abuse over these children. And we will answer this every day without getting tired of it. We don't have any children to give to the Reach congregation or anywhere named x, y, z, but people can have their children wherever they want, and we cannot interfere. If there is no neglect, no abuse, no violence, our duty does not begin as a state. We do not have a chance to interfere with people's children in their homes outside the limits I have mentioned. No one has the right to ask why this community, about a child who is with his or her mother and father. We will share with the public that no one has. We will never allow our children to be abused.”