syrians in turkey: social acceptance and integration

Since 2015, Istanbul has become the province with the largest number of refugees: as of December 2017, the metropole hosted about 538,000 registered Syrians. Because only increasing inspections and fines on employers for informal hires could result in the loss of the only income for many Syrians, however, such measures should be accompanied with incentives/derogations to encourage Syrians and employers to enter into formal arrangements. Over 60 per cent of voters said “yes” to the April 2017 plebiscite asking citizens to approve measures that greatly strengthened the powers of the president. Tzu Chi – An international Buddhist aid organisation headquartered in Taiwan that operates in 56 countries. A Municipal Law amendment to do this was drafted in April but not sent to parliament. In a place like the Gazi neighbourhood that locals say is over 50 per cent Alevi, there is a threat perception from the past anyway, and now they think Syrians will be settled here to reduce the Alevis to a minority”. Based on original interviews conducted across three continents, this book relates the experiences of nine Syrian women refugees and their perspectives on a range of subjects. The influx of refugees has entirely dominated the political and social debate. The flipside is inflation in regions with many refugees tops the national average. They will exponentially join crime waves. “Syrian refugees boost Turkish economy, but for how long?”, Al Monitor, 6 April 2016.Hide Footnote. The speculation indeed appeared groundless, until the president unexpectedly announced in July 2016 that citizenship would be granted to Syrians currently under temporary protection. Crisis Group interviews, Gaziantep, Adana, Istanbul, Kilis, February-March 2016. [fn]NGO representative views shared at event attended by Crisis Group titled “Migration and the Integration into the Education System” organised by Friedrich Naumann Foundation’s Turkey Office, Istanbul, 13 October 2017.Hide Footnote. Due to the geographical limitation it imposes on its adherence to the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, Turkey does not give official refugee status to citizens of countries not in the Council of Europe. There are serious allegations… of IS and Nusra receiving training there. [fn]Crisis Group interview, Syrian NGO representative/consultant who has worked extensively in the field on integration challenges and is based in Gaziantep, Istanbul, 21 October 2016.Hide Footnote. Crisis Group interviews, expert and NGO worker, Istanbul, December 2017. In addition, the situation of Syrian refugees in Turkey has a strong gender dimension. The Syrian females work as precarious workers at the workplace. They are the most affected and vulnerable workers. [fn]This measure was partly funded by the EU. Everything is perceived in the framework of polarisation. In neighbourhoods with large numbers of refugees, headmen should be able to hire Syrian assistants to help them smooth frictions and flag potentially dangerous situations. [fn]Crisis Group interview, HDP Sultangazi district head, July 2017.Hide Footnote. A Turkish official interviewed by Crisis Group said the number of unregistered Syrians in Istanbul did not exceed 10,000 but estimated that an additional 250,000-300,000 may be registered in another province of Turkey. Instead, they argue, funding needs to be designed to help Syrians become self-sustaining. Moreover, these are largely rural, culturally conservative areas, making them more hospitable to the Syrians who have settled there, many of whom come from the countryside. syrians in turkey: social acceptance and integration april-october 2014. book:tÜrkİye'dekİ surİyelİler (2015) syrians in turkey (2015) m.murat erdoĞan. “‘Suriyeli öğrenciler imam hatiplere yönlendirilsin’ genelgesi” [“Circular on directing Syrians to imam-hatip schools”], Sözcü, 20 September 2017.Hide Footnote The representative of an NGO that recently secured a protocol called the process complicated and opaque: “There is no clarity on why the protocol is granted or not … NGOs with hundreds of employees do not know what their status will be two years from now”. Many of them have fled their They also argue that the government is trying to create circumstances that will lead ordinary residents who support opposition parties to move out of Sultangazi, which is becoming lucrative real estate, thanks to its increasingly central location as mega-projects like the planned third bridge over the Bosphorus proceed. The Turkish government began phasing out the TEC system in the 2015/2016 school year. [fn]Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), household labour force surveys, 2016-2017.Hide Footnote Syrians have been able to obtain work permits since January 2016, but there is little incentive to seek permits and the process is cumbersome, so only about 15,000 have done so. [fn]As of 11 October 2017, the DGMM had updated the records of 529,313 Syrians in 57 provinces. [fn]A survey conducted in March-April 2017 (but not yet published) found that 29 per cent of Syrians in Istanbul were unregistered. Sign in Arabic on a tree advertises that the Abu Salah Supermarket in Sultangazi district can supply money transfers in all currencies, accommodation for male youths, espresso coffee and all kinds of Syrian goods, September 2017. SB-2017 maps [fn]Crisis Group interview, TEC director, Istanbul’s Sultangazi district, July 2017.Hide Footnote, The problem is even worse in Ankara’s Altındağ district, where Syrians make up 20 per cent of the population in some neighbourhoods. Ankara now needs to assume the permanence of the refugees in order to craft an integration strategy to mitigate the long-term risk for the nation’s stability. At present, the Syrian refugee presence is exacerbating social problems in Turkey and driving a wedge deeper and deeper between the state and the political opposition. Crisis Group Skype interview, Ankara-based UN Development Programme (UNDP) representatives, 24 October 2016. [fn]Crisis Group interview, Ankara, September 2017.Hide Footnote, Twelve NGOs had signed new protocols with the National Education Ministry by 10 December 2017; twenty others reportedly had applied, but remained unclear about their status. The interior ministry was reported to be working on a dual citizenship formula and a concept of “exceptional citizenship” for those and their families who could make “extraordinary” contributions in “industrial investments, science, technology, economy, sports, arts and culture”. The research was conducted jointly by Kemerburgaz University and the University of Kent.Hide Footnote, After negative reaction to its June 2016 announcement that Syrians would be fast-tracked for Turkish citizenship, the government clarified that the process would be gradual and limited. refugee and host communities in Turkey affected by the Syrian crisis. This is important for all Syrians attending Turkish schools. cit.Hide Footnote Most of the direct aid to Syrians, however, comes not from the government but from the EU’s European Social Safety Net (ESSN), which provides unconditional cash support dispensed through a debit card. Murat Erdoğan, “Syrians in Turkey”, op. According to the police, only 0.33 per cent of Syrians (33 in 10,000) were involved in criminal activity between 2011 and June 2014. In the conservative border province of Şanlıurfa, for example, no one objects to appeals for unity with Syrian refugees on religious grounds. UNICEF (with funding primarily from the German government and the EU) currently pays TEC teacher salaries; it could continue to do this for Syrian teachers, employing them in public schools on a temporary basis as “intercultural mediators”, a model that has worked in other countries dealing with large refugee populations. There was sporadic violence against Syrians in Şanlıurfa and Gaziantep in June 2016. This policy brief is based on a joint Brookings-USAK research trip to the border region by Elizabeth Ferris, Kemal Kirişci, Vittoria Federici, Osman Bahadır Dinçer, Sema Karaca and Elif Özmenek Çarmıklı and interviews conducted in ... [fn]“Geçici Koruma Altındaki Suriyelilerin Durumu Değerlendirildi” [“Status of Syrians under temporary protection assessed”], Milliyet, 17 December 2015.Hide Footnote  The chaotic policymaking, a patchwork of small initiatives with micro effects, left refugees having to find their own way. A Kurdish movement representative claimed that the authorities warned Syrian Kurds not to establish relations with Kurdish organisations in Turkey: “Syrian Kurds who came to Sultangazi were told they would be provided all health and education services if they abide by this rule. The following sections explore strategies to help Syrian refugees transition to productive employment without pitting them against equally disadvantaged local communities. Given the centrality of employment in immi-grant integration, this report focuses on the economic integration of Syrian refugees under temporary protection in Turkey. [fn]Murat Erdoğan, “Syrian Barometer”, op. [fn]Crisis Group interviews, Hatay, June 2016. Though some of its non-education related services continue to be offered to both refugees and locals, ASAM has suspended language programs for about six months, losing trained teachers who took other jobs. Crisis Group interview, economist, Ankara, July 2017. So decisions were made ad hoc, for short term solutions to challenges as they erupted. It overcame prejudice, but then we didn’t have enough funds to continue”. Syria Refugee Crisis - Globally, in Europe and in Cyprus. Crisis Group interview, official of a local branch of the Ministry of National Education, Istanbul, June 2017. “Centres were established all around Istanbul that we had no control over”, said a Turkish official. 18-1Hide Footnote Politically marginalised groups believe the government uses Syrians to advance political goals, both domestically and in foreign policy. An official from the Beşiktaş municipality in Istanbul, which is run by the CHP, said state authorities had not shared any data on the number of refugees living there or on any other refugee-related issues. Germany’s KfW also receives €20 million under the Facility for Refugees for a project providing high-quality vocational education and training for Syrians and hosts. So, out of fear of being sent back to Syria by Turkish authorities, they have stayed low-profile about their Kurdish identity”. [fn]“Sığınmacıları kullanarak demografik yapıyı bozacaklar: Oy vermiyorsanız oy vereni buluruz!” [“They are going to use the refugees to disrupt the demographic structure: If you do not vote for us, we will find those who will!”], Birgün, 31 March 2016.Hide Footnote, Residents of provinces such as Kahramanmaraş, Diyarbakır and Izmir have alleged the government aims to change demographics with camps or subsidised residential complexes for Syrians. Despite fears in host communities, Germany has successfully created a path to employment for newcomers, while managing social tensions. Crisis Group interviews, Izmir’s Torbalı district, August 2017. The number of incidents began rising in spring 2017 with seventeen in May, 25 in June, 30 in July, 25 in August, 27 in September, twelve in October, and fourteen in November. cit.Hide Footnote One local muhtar (elected neighbourhood headman) in Istanbul’s Sultangazi district lamented that the central government used the “trade of religion”, calling for sacrifice and tolerance, to stop people from complaining about the need for schools and protection of workers’ rights. The plan under discussion would give further monthly support of 35-60 TL ($11-$18) for each child attending school and a one-time financial allowance of 100 TL (around $30) per semester. Some programs that have been implemented successfully in border regions of Turkey could also be applied in urban areas. Ankara sees the West as intent neither on ending the former nor sharing the burden of the latter. Ankara also needs to address public sentiments, mostly negative, about Syrian refugees becoming Turkish citizens. is a 2014 paper Syrians in Turkey: Social Acceptance and Integration Research. This is all building up frustration, which can be channelled against the Syrians, many of whom see Erdoğan as their saviour. A young boy was killed by police the other day; they said he disobeyed a stop warning. Prof. Dr., Director, Turkish-German University, Migration and Integration Research Center, İstanbul E-mail: merdogan1103@gmail.com ABSTRACT The number of refugees in Turkey exceeded 4 million in a short period of time due to the civil war in Syria, and Turkey has become the country hosting the largest number of refugees from 2014 onwards. The percentage of foreign nationals in Turkish prisons has been 1.6-1.8 per cent between 2011 and 2014. CHP: Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (Republican People’s Party), Turkey’s main opposition party. The deal has delivered mutual benefits: the flow of irregular migrants to the EU has been curbed, and European funding and programming have had visible positive impact on Syrians’ opportunities in Turkey, which is also in the country’s long-term interests. While distrust of AKP is important in shaping these fears, so is history. Most Syrians who fled across the border and stayed in Turkey came from the countryside. Liberals as well as Kurds and other minorities, fear that authorities are hiring youths linked to the Turkish nationalist party, MHP. That it hosts by far the most refugees has reinforced Turkey’s political demands regarding developments in Syria. The decision to phase out the TECs angered Turkish and Syrian families alike. An argument between the child’s family and the Syrians escalated into a mob attack by locals armed with knives and clubs, leaving about 30 people injured. 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