Turkish ombudsman cites banning toys from kids menus as proof of human rights protection efforts
Turkey's Ombudsman Institution cited the ban on promotional toys offered with kids' menus as an example of their defense of human rights. The office reportedly received more than 160,000 complaints in the past eight years.
Serkan Alan / DUVAR
The Turkish parliament's Ombudsman Institution said that they banned the distribution of toys along with kids' menus as a practice of preventing rights violations.
Pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Garo Paylan presented a series of questions to the ombudsman's office after the 2021 budget proposal was approved for the institution, questioning whether they were able to prevent any right violations.
The ombudsman prompted new legislation by the Trade Ministry to ban the distribution of promotional toys with kids' menus after the office received a complaint about the toys encouraging fast food consumption, Omdusman Şeref Malkoç said in response to Paylan.
The office reportedly received 167,679 complaints over the eight years of its operations, and ruled on more than 161,000 of them, Malkoç added.
Another area where the ombudsman's office "improved the state's operations" was the suggestion that notaries are allowed to accept card payments and online payments, Malkoç noted.
The ombudsman also said that their suggestion that drivers are notified in real-time of any violations with the automatic payment system (HGS) at turnpikes improved conditions for millions of users.