International congress awards first prize for the best paper

Cyprus International University (CIU), Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Social Work Lecturer Dr. Buse Erzeybek Şemi was awarded the first prize for her oral presentation at the 4th International Congress on Child Protection that took place in Izmir.

Şemi participated in the congress with an oral presentation titled "The Effects of Divorce on Children from the Perspective of Mothers: A case study in North Cyprus" said that a total of 61 oral presentations were delivered, and that the congress "Building a holistic child protection system on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Republic." was held for the fourth time this year. 

Şemi stated that the congress was organized collaboratively by the “Association for Supporting Child Protection Centers”, “Association for the Prevention of Child Neglect and Abuse” and “Izmir Metropolitan Municipality” and said, "The 3-day congress included conferences, panels, oral and poster presentations as well as a children's festival and public talks." 

Şemi also informed that she prepared the presentation based on the results of her research study titled "Examination of the Problems and Needs of Divorced Single-Parent Women According to the Ecological System Approach: TRNC Example" which she completed in 2023 and drew attention to the effects of divorce on children.

Making a statement about the findings of the study, Şemi said, “According to the results, it was seen that mothers generally get the custody of the children. It has also been noted that their affiliations differ depending on their traumatic experiences during the divorce process." 

Şemi stated that children who experienced violence before the divorce defined the place they lived in as 'that house' and the house they moved to as 'our home', and also that their relationship with the father either disappeared completely after the divorce depending on the experience of violence, or the father transformed to establish a quality relationship. 

Stating that they have learned that explanations made to the child in line with his/her age and development before the divorce are effective in helping the child go through the following processes with fewer problems, Şemi said, “The social services offered to divorced family members in our country need to be increased in terms of quality and quantity. Local governments and non-governmental organizations and especially the Social Services Department bear a lot of responsibility.”