CHP's Çelik reacts to attempts to damage IBB's reputation over daycare center: 'We must inform the public'

In a statement posted on his social media account, Çelik provided detailed information regarding the daycare issue, which has been reflected in the press and has grown with statements coming from different fronts each day.

Stating that the matter has been closely monitored for a long time, Çelik said that the recent statements have turned into a political campaign aimed at damaging the reputation of the IBB (Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality).

Çelik made the following statement:

We must accurately inform our public on a matter that we are following with great sensitivity and attention.

Regarding the incident alleged to have occurred at the IBB Eyüpsultan Yuvam Istanbul Children's Activity Center, the IBB took minutes immediately after institution personnel noticed the "situation" long before it was reflected in the public eye, informed the family and authorized institutions, and began to investigate the matter meticulously from that moment on.

The relevant service unit is a place monitored every hour with exactly 35 cameras. All records have been shared with judicial authorities.

All of these records have been examined, and no evidence has been found by IBB officials that an act was committed. No findings regarding the allegations have been encountered in the examinations and technical studies of the IBB and official institutions.

Despite this, all named individuals have been removed from their posts as a precaution.

Detailed technical examinations are continuing both administratively and judicially.

From the very beginning, the IBB has maintained and continues to maintain an attitude of working to clarify the incident and fully cooperating with all state institutions and the family.

While all this is happening, we see that a political campaign has been launched to damage the institutional reputation of the IBB through news and statements that disregard the child's privacy.

The campaign, which casts suspicion on the 127 Yuvam Istanbul Children's Activity Centers that benefit tens of thousands of children and families, has adopted a provocative method that broadly stigmatizes a public service that especially benefits middle and lower-income groups, as well as a large segment of society.

We see that it is not well-intentioned for members of the government, including some ministers at the head of state institutions with which our municipality works together in a very open, transparent, and constructive manner, to make the issue a subject of cheap politics. We know that this attitude stems from the satisfaction formed among the families of the 26,144 children who have received education at the Activity Centers since 2019.

We will continue to work hard for our children, for their healthy nutrition, for them to grow up in safe and happy environments, and to prepare for the future with hope.

We must accurately inform our public on a matter that we are following with great sensitivity and attention.

?? Regarding the incident alleged to have occurred at the IBB Eyüpsultan Yuvam Istanbul Children's Activity Center, the IBB took minutes immediately after institution personnel noticed the “situation” long before it was reflected in the public eye…

— Özgür Çelik (@ozgurcelikchp) January 24, 2026

News Source: 12punto