My own impressions were formed on a recent trip to Istanbul, during which I witnessed the frenetic commercial activity that is fueling the Turkish economy. Istanbul is a city with a fast pace, a whirlwind of people hurrying about their business, working hard. For a country that is still relatively poor, it is a surprise to find no beggars. Instead, everyone works, in whatever niche he can find. Everywhere men and boys squat beside flagons, with a drink of cold water for sale.
Turkey needs a booming economy to support a booming population.
The current population of 52 million may reach 75 million by the end of the century. In Istanbul, children are everywhere. Turkey is still emerging from a Third World culture, in which children are a valued part of the family economy. They go to work in the family business, and they provide for their parents in old age. In Istanbul, young children work in shops, sell packets of postcards to tourists, sell birdseed to visitors who want to feed the pigeons, or learn the trade of shoe-blacking.