The majority of Syrian refugees are in Turkey six years after the start of the conflict. They try to create opportunities for education, employment, and survival. This article examines the latest Migration Report, published by the Turkish Presidency for Migration Management in April 2017. It focuses on statistics regarding Syrians.
The country was originally a migration-sender, but it became a transit and destination country in the late 1980s when conflict broke out in neighboring regions. The Syrian crisis has led to a massive influx of migrants, which reached over 3m by 2016.
Turkey uses the geographic limitation principle to grant permanent protection to asylum seekers fleeing as a result of events in Europe and temporary shelter to others. The only country in the world that has adopted policies for European refugees and non-European ones, despite its acceptance of both the Geneva Conventions and the Additional Protocol, is Turkey. It means that non-European asylum seekers will be subjected to harsher treatment.
A growing number of Turkish citizens are becoming increasingly hostile towards Syrians, as unemployment and a lack of education have impeded the process of hospitality. The attitude of the state towards immigrants has fluctuated from humanitarian concerns to national security worries. The 2016 government migration report reflects the same concerns, “establishing a strong and sustainable migration system based on our national interests”.
The Turkish state has reacted to the nationalist impulse since 2014. This is reflected in increased border checks, lack of social benefits, and the denial of refugee status for some Syrians.
Only 48,738 Syrians live in Turkey under a residence permit. The rest are temporarily protected. It is used during times of mass migration, when it is difficult to evaluate individual asylum requests. The law is based upon three principles:
These statistics and others force us to examine the myths that are circulating in the Turkish media about Syrian asylum seekers.
Myths and their deconstruction
, for example, argue “[they] Syrians shouldn’t have left Syria to defend their country,” but over 46% are under 18. Most Syrians living in Turkey do not live in camps. This is contrary to the popular belief among Turkish citizens. 9.12% of asylum seekers live in camps in Turkey, but the remainder are trying to make ends meet by beggaring, collecting trash, or being exploited in the informal economy.
Istanbul has the largest number of Syrians in Turkey with 438.861 people. In some cities the ratio of Syrians to total population is much higher. In the province of Kilis in the south-east, Syrians account for 93.5%. Many asylum seekers prefer to live in large cities, where they can build social networks and remain relatively unnoticed, thus protecting themselves from discrimination.
The report doesn’t provide any information about social benefits. However, A recent study with 604 Syrians in Istanbul found that only 3 percent of them receive some sort of assistance, and their high unemployment rates and lack of a work permit prevent them from getting official jobs.
less than 20,000 permits have been issued to date. The average wage of Syrian male workers is US$140 lower than the average wage for Turkish male workers.
Education is urgently needed
Education is a priority for the Syrian asylum seekers due to their high proportion of youth. However, Turkish public opinion views any investment in integration as a way to encourage them to stay.
A second study shows the Turkish public is against the Syrians being granted citizenship. 27.5% of participants in the study believe that Syrians shouldn’t receive any education. Reverse migration is unlikely in the near future. Even if war ended immediately, it would be difficult to return to Syria.
Only 24% have access to education. Less than 60 percent of the 900 000 Syrian school-age children are enrolled in education institutions and only 18% attend regular public schools. For Syrian children, 432 temporary educational centres are available. By March 2017, 459 521 Syrians had received educational services. Turkish authorities have also prepared bilingual learning sets for Syrian children, which include language exercises and games.