On February 21, the world community celebrates International Native Language Day. This day was established by the decision of the 30th session of the General Conference of UNESCO in November 1999 and has been celebrated since 2000 in order to protect linguistic and cultural diversity.
With the beginning of the occupation of Crimea by Russia, the situation on the peninsula in the areas of UNESCO activity (education, science, culture, information, freedom of the media, etc.) is in critical condition. The Crimean Tatar Resource Center records violations in these areas on an ongoing basis.
Despite the fact that the occupation authorities officially recognized the Crimean Tatar language as one of the state languages, there are no Crimean Tatar versions of the official website pages, office work is conducted only in Russian, it is forbidden to use the native language in the so-called courts, there have been cases of threats to dismiss workers for being spoke their own language, which is a violation of articles 2, 8, 15 and 17 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Before the occupation, there were 15 schools and 384 classes in Crimea with the Crimean Tatar language of instruction. The occupying power changed the status of schools. At the moment, there are 7 schools in Crimea with the Crimean Tatar language of instruction, 3 schools with Russian and Crimean Tatar languages.
Education in the Crimean Tatar language is allowed only at the request of parents. But school administrations create obstacles in the submission of these applications. Cases of gross refusal have been recorded, for example, at school No. 37 in Simferopol in February 2020.
On the eve of the 10th anniversary of indigenous languages, it is very important that there be intersectoral interaction in the preservation and development of indigenous languages, i.e. indigenous peoples, states, businesses and international organizations. After all, the language will live if it is in demand.
The demand for the language, especially among small indigenous peoples, cannot be ensured without state support. This refers to state support for ethnic media (radio, newspapers, television, the preparation of content in native languages, including electronic ones), support for teaching in the native language and, accordingly, the educational process with the training of teachers and decent wages.
The team of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center is doing everything to preserve and develop the language of the indigenous people of Ukraine. For example, in 2019, the Crimean Tatar Resource Center translated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into the Crimean Tatar language and posted it on the official UN resource. In 2021, the European Convention on Human Rights was translated.
Thus, the CTRC continues to promote the development of the sectoral legal Crimean Tatar language, while attracting qualified experts. Our team is making every effort to preserve the native language of the indigenous people of Ukraine.
Further more!