Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Turkey

Turkey, which is situated on the transit route to Europe for many refugees/asylum seekers from Asia and Africa, has recently been facing a gradually increasing refugee problem. In this study, a sociological analysis of refugees will be introduced through the example of the city of Isparta in Turkey which serves as a transit country for many international refugees. The study will attempt to discuss the demographic characteristics of refugees, such as their age, gender, education levels, occupations, marital status, number of children, job/occupation and employment status, social and economic status, survival ways, reasons why they became refugees, traumas they experienced, adaptation problems, expectations, and finally their points of view towards both themselves and the world. The source of data used in the study includes the refugees residing in Kafeler (Buğday) Street in the city centre, as well as the refugees residing in Yedişehitler district of Isparta. The study was carried out between October 2007 and January 2008 using in-depth interview technique. Notes The term “asylum seekers” is used to refer to a person who has a well-founded fear of persecution in his/her own country, or whose life is in danger because of armed attacks and acts of violence, and therefore demands refugee status from other countries. On the other hand, the term includes people who receive residency permits for different periods in a country where they may or may not be granted refugee status, and still seek asylum even though their refugee applications are rejected. See J. Crisp, et al., Dünya Mültecilerinin Durumu: Bir İnsanlık Sorunu (The Case of World Refugees: A Problem of Humanity), Ankara: Turkish Representative Agency of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 1997, p. 183. Generally the term refugee will be used throughout this study. S. Castles and J.M. Miller, Göçler Çağı: Modern Dünyada Uluslar arası Göç Hareketleri (The Age of Migrations: International Migration Movements in the Modern World), Trans. Bülent Uğur Bal-İbrahim Akbulut, İstanbul: Bilgi University Publications, 2008, p. 144. Muhteşem Kaynak, et al., Iraklı Sığınmacılar ve Türkiye (1998–1992) (Iraqi Refugees and Turkey (1998–1992)), Ankara: Tanmak Publications, 1992, p. 17. S. Loughna and F. Nicholson, Dünya Mültecilerinin Durumu: İnsan Yardımının Eli (The Case of World Refugees: The Hand of Human Philanthropy), Ankara: Turkish Representative Agency of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2001, p. 2. V. Eşsiz and G. Günel, Sivil Toplum Kuruluşları için Mülteci Destek El Kitabı (A Refugee Support Guidebook for Non-Governmental Organizations), İstanbul: Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Publications, 2007, pp. 114–121. Y. Acer, and M. Gümüş, “Türkiye'nin Mülteci Stratejisi ve Coğrafi Kısıtlama” (Turkey's Refugee Strategy and Geographical Restriction), Journal of Administrative Sciences, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2007, pp. 67–70. E. Durdular and İ. Neziroğlu, Uluslararası Temel İnsan Hakları Belgeleri (International Fundamental Human Rights Documents), Ankara: The Turkish Grand National Assembly, Human Rights Commission Publications, Vol. 18, 2001, p. 205. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees: It was accepted at the conference, as per resolution No. 429 of 14 December 1950 of the United Nations General Assembly, signed in Geneva on 28 July 1951, that went into force on 22 April 1954 in compliance with Article 43 (Durdular and Neziroğlu, ibid., pp. 179–199). Ibid., p. 191. Loughna and Nicholson, Dünya Mültecilerinin Durumu (The Case of World Refugees), op. cit., p. 2. Ay Kadir, et al., İltica ve Göç Mevzuatı (Asylum and Migration Regulations), Ankara: Başkent Publications, 2005, pp. 7–9. Durdular and Neziroğlu, Uluslararası Temel İnsan Hakları Belgeleri (International Fundamental Human Rights Documents), op. cit., pp. 179–199. Acer and Gümüş, “Türkiye'nin Mülteci Stratejisi” (Turkey's Refugee Strategy), op. cit., pp. 67–70. Due to the opportunities provided by the Canadian government, refugees prefer to migrate to this country. Canada is a favorable country for refugees also in terms of both economic and socio-cultural aspects. Canada provides the refugees with social and economic support such as health insurance, bank accounts, foreign language courses, and rental houses. Canadian authorities, who carry out studies for the adaptation of refugees to the social structure, focus especially on “social support”. Because these people are individuals who were obliged to leave their own countries in order to flee from various social traumas like persecution, pressure and torture, therefore, in the asylum country, they need psychological support more than anything and they prefer to receive help from their own environment. So, refugees prefer to live among their relatives and friends, and choose areas of residence accordingly. Naturally, this situation creates several problems. Especially in countries that receive thousands of immigrants every year, such situations prevent immigrants from integrating into the existing social structure, and result in the emergence of “ghettos” of their own social and cultural formations. See Laura Simich, “Negotiating Boundaries of Refugee Resettlement: A Study of Settlement Patterns and Social Support”, Canadian Review of Sociology & Anthropology, Vol. 40, No. 5, December 2003, p. 575. A. Lieblich, R. Tuval-Mashiach, and T. Zilber, Narrative Research, Reading, Analysis, and Interpretation, Applied Social Research Methods Series, Vol. 47, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998, pp. 112–114. Ali Yıldırım and Hasan Şimşek, Sosyal Bilimlerde Nitel Araştırma Yöntemleri (Qualitative Research Methods in Social Sciences), Ankara: Seçkin Yayınevi, 1999, p. 190. It is one of the original concepts brought in the field of sociology by Mübeccel Belik Kıray. According to Kıray, buffering institutions and relations are those which are not observed in both structures, but emerge during formation and enable integration to occur relatively faster and to result in more comprehensive change. Buffering institutions prevent depression and crisis in the course of social change, and avert social disintegration. In terms of both structure and function, they connect various aspects of both the old and new social structure. Being parts of the whole, structures and functions that fail to integrate into the whole disappear over time, and they are replaced by buffering institutions. In this way, a balance is maintained in society during a change of medium pace. (Quoted in: Emre Kongar, Türk Toplum Bilimcileri (Turkish Sociologist), Ankara: Remzi Kitabevi, 4th edn, Vol. 1, 1999, p. 438.) V. Eşsiz and G. Günel, Sivil Toplum Kuruluşları için Mülteci Destek El Kitabı (A Refugee Support Guidebook for Non-Governmental Organizations), İstanbul: Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Publications, 2007, p. 208. Ahmet İçduygu, Türkiye'de Kaçak Göç (Illegal Migration in Turkey), İstanbul: İstanbul Ticaret Odası Yayınları, 2004, pp. 83–87. The first paragraph of the sixth article in the “Primary Education Law” No. 222 of 5 January 1961 was changed in the first article of the “Primary Education Law” No. 4306, acceded in 1997 as follows: “Primary education institutions are schools that give eight years of education. These schools offer continuous education and graduates receive a primary school diploma”. The statement “eight years of continuous primary school education” was replaced with the statement “eight years of continuous primary school and secondary school education” in the fifth article of the Law No. 4702 of 29 June 2001 and was accordingly included in the text. Available online at: (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı, Mevzuat Bankası, İlköğretim ve Eğitim Kanunu) http://mevzuat.meb.gov.tr/html/126.html, accessed 30.01.2008. In the law relating to the Work Permit of Foreigners, the applications in Western European countries were taken into consideration in the arrangements concerning penal sanctions intended to deter the employment of foreign illegal workers. Accordingly, a fine of 250 liras was charged for each foreigner; 500 liras for unauthorized dependent foreign workers; 2500 liras for each foreign worker to be paid by employers who employ unauthorized foreign workers; and a fine of 1000 liras and plant closing penalty for unauthorized independent foreign business owners were determined to be applied in case of default of notification. Moreover, administrative fines are declared to be twice as much in case of the repetition of the above mentioned acts. Besides administrative fines, employers and their representatives who employ unauthorized foreign workers are obliged to cover the foreigner's and his/her spouse's and children's (if any) accommodation and health care expenses, as well as their travel expenses necessary to return to their own country. Available online at: (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Çalışma ve Sosyal Güvenlik Bakanlığı, Yabancıların Çalışmaları Hakkında Kanun) http://www.calisma.gov.tr, accessed 30.01.2008. The amount of minimum gross wages to be paid in 2008 in compliance with the decision of the Commission of Fixing the Minimum Wages No. 2007/1 of 27 December 2007 issued in the Official Gazette No. 26741 of 29 December 2007: Between 01.01.2008 and 30.06.2008, YTL 608.40 for workers over 16 years of age and YTL 515.40 for workers under 16 years of age; between 01.07.2008 and 31.12.2008, YTL 638.70 for workers over 16 years of age and YTL 540.60 for workers under 16 years of age. Available online at: (2008 Yılı Asgari Ücret Tespit Komisyonu Kararı) http://www.mufad.org, accessed 30.01.2008

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