Khaberni - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on Friday the "Family Decade" in response to the declining birth rate in the country, and once again denounced "homosexual deviance".
Erdoğan stated at the opening of the International Family Forum in Istanbul, "We declare the period 2026-2035 as a decade for family and population."
He warned, citing data from the National Statistics Institute, that "the birth rate in Turkey has dropped, for the first time in our history, to 1.48, which is a disaster."
He added that this number is much lower than the minimum threshold of 2.1 children per woman, which is necessary for the renewal of generations."
He emphasized that the country faces a great risk, adding, "That is why we appealed to all families to have at least three children."
In 2001, the birth rate in Turkey was 2.38 children per woman, according to the National Statistics Institute.
Modernity and Individualism
This isn't the first time the religious state president and father of four has expressed his concerns about the demographic decline in his country.
He had already declared 2025 as "the Year of the Family," and promised, during the presidential campaign, to assist newlyweds by establishing the "Family and Youth Fund" in 2023.
Erdoğan said, "The decline in the birth rate in Turkey is not due to transient economic problems. As our level of prosperity increased, our fertility rate began to decrease."
He also confirmed that modernity based on the concepts of individualism and not forming a family cannot bring peace to the individual or society.
He regretted that a lifestyle prioritizing personal comfort is spreading rapidly in society, starting from the youth.
He pointed out that the actors in the global market do not want a family structure based on solidarity.
Homosexual Fascism
He once again denounced the scourge of homosexual deviance, stating, "The fight against homosexual deviance is a battle for freedom, dignity, and the salvation of humanity's future," considering "this deviant homosexual movement has turned into a form of fascism and repression that rejects any other differing ideology."
President Erdoğan noted that artists, businessmen, politicians, and scholars are subjected to smear campaigns simply for criticizing the scourge of homosexuality.
He added that the forum is attended by ministers from 26 countries, showing the importance these countries place on the family institution.
He remarked that the family institution plays an indispensable role in the continuation of the human race, and is a fundamental pillar for the cohesion of society.
Erdoğan affirmed that it is everyone’s duty to resist all kinds of threats and attacks targeting the family institution, to elevate the status of the family and enhance its role.
The International Family Forum is organized under the motto "Protecting and Strengthening the Family in a World Affected by Globalization."
