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Summary: The aim of the project is to enhance the
psycho-social conditions of the women and
children, to determine the current problems at
the camps of the places where they have
been living and propose solutions to help
them surviving in a more healthy environment,
by talking to authorities and driving the
attention of the public opinion into this issue.
ESTABLISHING THE PSYCHOSOCIAL STATE OF TEMPORARY REFUGEE
FEMALES AND CHILDREN IN TURKEY AND A PROPOSAL FOR ENHANCING
THEIR LIVING CONDITIONS
Objective of the Project
The tragedy that the people leaving their countries due to cruelty, clashes
and fierce activities face is not so different from that of the past centuries
in this age. As a result of compulsory emigrations, most of the people
seeking asylum in other countries have been scorned and living in an
environment of insecurity and uncertainty. People who are known as
refugees, asylum seekers or having no land have existed in many parts of
the world today, and they have been discriminated, ill-treated and living
with the fear that their lives can be under risk at any time.
According to the changed A-2 article of The Geneva Convention dated 1951
concerning the Legal Status of Asylum Seekers, "asylum seeker is a person
who is afraid of being oppressed with proper reasons due to the race,
religion, nationality, and his connection with a certain group and his
political views, and who is out of his native country as a result of these
reason and cannot benefit from the protection of this country or doesn't
want to benefit from it due this fear." Whereas Turkey has kept the people
coming from other countries but Europe out of the status of asylum
seeking unlike international standards with a regulation of No. 1994/6169
issued at the Official Gazette with a number of 22127 and date of
30.11.1994. Turkey signed the 1967 protocol with geographical stipulation.
The most worrying case is that the life of an asylum seeker of Asia is under
threat due to the fact that it doesn't suit to non refoulment, which is the
most basic principle at the legislation of asylum seeking, because of the
legal practices of Turkey. Therefore human smuggling is getting stronger
and the asylum seekers are being abondoned to the sense of illegal
mechanism.
Because of its geographical location binding the continents of Europe and
Asia, Turkey has been serving as a bridge for thousands of refugees from
Asia and African continents who would like to seek asylum in European
countries. The ones who would like to go to European countries in illegal
ways assuming all the risks have mostly caused and met great tragedies.
While almost all the asylum seekers need special protection, the rights of
women and children are violated the more. Thousands of people having to
abandon their countries due to such causes as clashes, corporal violence,
sexual discrimination, political impression set out for new hopes and
dreams every day. The journey itself for them is as bad as staying in their
countries. Sometimes their money is deforced by violence and sometimes
they have been targeted by soldiers or gangsters. Furthermore, hunger,
diseases and death are mostly encountered at the camps. They are not
able find a job to work in the country where they cannot speak its
language and they have been waiting in vain . They work in the country
illegaly and they have been ! exploited as the cheap work force.
The aim of the project is to enhance the psycho-social conditions of the
women and children, which is within the scope of interest and task of both
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Turkish authorities,
who are at the status of Temporary Asylum Seeker, to determine the
current problems at the camps of the places where they have been living
and propose solutions to them, to help them surviving at a more healthy
environment by talking to the authorities and institutions in order to
improve the current conditions and to be able to drive the attention of the
public opinion into this issue.
As a solution it is aimed that some necessary regulations should be
initiated for the women and children in order to allow them to survive
within the basic humanitarian standards during the time when they have
been to inhabit and that the results obtained should be shared with the
public so that it will contribute the problem to be helped to understand
objectively. As the problem we ignored could be the source of theft,
prostitution, smuggling of men even human trade itself, the training of
these people, even if it is not the priority to provide them with jobs in
terms of their position in the countries they live, should be helped to be
employed. Thus another aim is to share the conditions of the places the
temporary asylum seekers wi! th the authorities.
These people, whose numbers are considered as thousands, are
unfortunately away from being on the agenda of the public opinion and the
interest. People in some places have a prejudice against these people. The
asylum seekers are an extra load or share holder over the economy for
them. Children are not able to have an education and they are run over by
hunger and diseases. Besides being able to have no social support, the
women and children cannot get any help to heal their psychological
wounds they got due to the negligence they were subjected in their
countries. As a result of the tragedy these people experience as their
passing into a third country takes a longer time, such cases as the loss of
inner peace in the family, the increase of violence against woman and child
could appear.
Turkey has to solve this problem as well together with most of human
rights problems in the process of EU accession. It is neither possible to
consider these people as if they weren't existed nor to send them back. It
is of great importance to provide these people with not violating the rights
resulting from international conventions.
Application of the Project
A field study was carried out targeting particularly the woman and child
asylum seekers at the refugee settlements of Ankara, Istanbul, Konya,
Kayseri, Afyon, Sivas, Nevþehir, Yozgat, Van and Aðrý in cooperation with
related social organizations in Turkey in order to apply the project. With
this purpose, the living conditions in the camps were observed, almost 500
people from the target groups were interviewed and some questionnaires
and the study of getting story were performed.
The study was applied at the provinces where mostly the asylum seekers
in the position of temporary refugee have been living. These provinces are
also the places where asylum seeking women and children exist more.
Moreover, asylum seeking women and children from not only one country
but from different countries have been living in the mentioned provinces.
A questionnaire targeting asylum seeking women and children was carried
out and then the study of taking story was performed.
The Problems Encountered While Carrying Out the Project
The basic problem encountered while carrying out the Project is contacting
to asylum seekers. The assistance expected from some of the international
organisations at the very beginning couldn't be obtained and the asylum
seekers were mostly contacted through some local societies and
organizations. In some provinces the asylum seekers seemed reluctant in
interviewing. No handicaps were encountered in any of the provinces
mentioned. Just the ones staying in Yozgat Police Guesthouse were not
allowed to interview. A similar manner was shown by the authority at the
gate of Fenerbahçe Camp located in Fenerbahçe district in Istanbul, but
entrance to the camp was allowed providing that the cameras were left
out.
THE PROBLEMS OF ASYLUM SEEKING WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN TURKEY
THE RESULTS OF QUESTIONNAIRES AND THE EVALUATIONS
THE QUESTIONNAIRES TARGETTING WOMEN
* The surge of asylum seeking has been from Iran the most due to
the fact that Turkey and Iran are neighbour countries. In fact, 44,56 % of
asylum seeking women is of Iranian origin.
The rate of Chechen asylum seeking women is 20,21%. Most of them are
the women escaping from Russian-Chechen war. The rate of the women
escaping from the war in Iraq is 16,58%; the rate for Afghan women is
about 5,70 %.
47% of asylum-seeking women know no Turkish. Asylum seeking women
stay mostly indoors and they don't go out in any case, therefore they
cannot learn Turkish and they cannot recognize the environment they live.
Turkish speaking asylum-seeking women are nearly 41%, which is a rate of
women living in Turkey for a long time and communicating with the outer
space.
84,46% of women lived in a city when they were in their native country.
The rate of the ones living in a town is 10,88% and 4,66% for the ones
living in villages.
The rate of the women claiming that they are married is 72,2%. A great
majority of the asylum-seeking women abandoned their countries with the
decision their husbands. The rate of widows is 10,88%. Most of them lost
their husbands at a war. The rate of the ones who divorced is 4, 15% and
most of them are Iranian. The rate of single ones is 12,95% and they
abandoned their countries together with their family members. For Iran
originated asylum seekers the decision of leaving the country is often given
by the tribe they belong to.
67% of the women pointed out that they had no job in their countries. The
rate of the ones working is 33%. The data show that the asylum seeking
women didn't work in their countries and that the socio-economical level of
most of them is low. While there are some people working as self
employed among the those saying they had a job, there are also people
working as tailors, teachers, lecturers at a university, hairdressers, and
some working as workers in factories.
86,5% of asylum seeking women don't work in Turkey. In fact, men also
cannot work due to some restrictions at the legislation in Turkey. Of the
reasons why women cannot work is that they didn't work in their
countries, and also are some factors like the problem of language, legal
problems, and cultural structure. The women claiming that they work;
mostly do cleaning works. Chechen woman commonly work as sellers at
the open markets or work at the clothing sector. African ones work as
illegal workers at various places and mostly at workshops. It is learned
that most of these people have no legal applications. The women, not
knowing Turkish, point out that their aim is not to stay in Turkey but to go
to Europe. The women claiming they are working; point out that they
usually ! get low wages sometimes they couldn't get their wages.
While 48,7% of the women say that they felt anxiety when they left their
countries, 67,8% of them expressed that they feared. 27,5% women said
that their feeling of fury dominated when they left their countries, whereas
women at the rate of 12,5% said that they felt peace. The feeling of fury
came to fore in Chechen women mostly.
30% percent of asylum seeking women expressed that they felt peace;
38%, anxiety; 21%, fear, and 7% fury when they came to Turkey but only
1% of them felt in secure. 3% of the women couldn't describe their
feelings.
Indeed, asylum seeking women using mostly similar concepts in
responding to this question were describing the mood they are in and
having difficulty in describing themselves.
The feelings of anxiety and fear mostly stemmed from the concern of future
and uncertainty. Besides, such reasons as the fact that they didn't know
the language, being sent back to the original country could lead to these
feelings. As an example, Iranian asylum seekers expressed that they
mostly entered the country through the people dealing with the smuggling
of men, survived with a fear and anxiety stemming from not being able to
know about their future for a long time.
The rate of asylum seeking women living with her husband and children in
Turkey is 46,7%. Asylum seekers coming from Iran, Afghanistan, Tunisia
and Uzbekistan often abandon their countries together with their spouses.
The rate of the ones being with their children is 15,5%. Chechen asylum
seeking women are mostly in this group. These women being together
with their children share the same building with other asylum seekers.
The rate of asylum seeking women living with other asylum seekers or with
family members is 17,6%. These people have problem with sheltering
mostly.
The rate of the asylum seeking women who point out that they live with
their family members is 13,5%. These people have been living with their
father, mother or brother/sister in the same place.
Most of the asylum seekers living in Aðrý and Van provinces stay at the
houses made of soil. Especially Iranian asylum seekers rent houses
together to share the rent, which causes many problems. Sharing the
house not only with her husband and children but also with another
person, who is usually a male asylum seeker, brings many undesired
problems in terms of woman.
It was obtained that asylum seeking women living in Istanbul mostly and
coming from Ethiopia, Somalia and African countries also lived with other
asylum seekers like Iranians and that's why they had some problems.
Although the asylum seeking women point out that they had no conflict in
the family at first, at the following stages of the interview they didn't
refrain from explaining that they had problems with their spouses. The rate
of the asylum seeking women saying that they had conflicts in the family is
76,2%. In fact the rate is quite high. The interviewees rushed in
responding this question while answering the questionnaire.
The rate of the women saying that they had conflict in the family is
accounted as 21,9%. The conflict in the family is mostly observed in the
asylum seekers from Iran, Afghanistan, Tunisia and Uzbekistan. One of the
basic reasons of this is the economical problems. Besides, due to the
uncertainty of legal status, the anxiety of future, and such reasons as not
being able to find a job a conflict in the family is experienced
There are also some women pointing out that they subjected to violence
together with the conflict in the family. However, these women don't
complain about their husbands and keep it secret. They have an anxiety of
being sent back if they complain about it.
Asylum seeking women sometimes point out that they had some conflicts
with their children as well. Especially Chechen women expressed that their
children were sometimes uneasy as they wanted to turn their countries
back.
It was also learned that some asylum seeking children blamed their
parents as they had to abandon the country, and some of them withdrew
themselves and became rebels against their parents.
The rate of the asylum seeking women saying that they had no conflict
with their close environment was accounted as 81,3%. While responding
this question the asylum seeking women and children perceived the close
environment as their friends and families. On the other hand some of them
expressed that they experienced conflict with their neighbours.
Some of the asylum seeking women pointed out that they had no problem
with the outer environment as they were not in contact with it.
The rate of the asylum seeking women having problem with the close
environment is 17,6% and the ones responding so expressed that they
were feeling insecure against their close environment and their neighbours
and that they were feeling frightened.
While Chechens were consisted the majority of the ones expressing that
they feel secure against their close environment, most of the ones saying
that they feel frightened and insecure are those coming from the countries
such as Iran and Tunisia. The majority of the ones feeling frightened and
insecure do not know Turkish.
Especially Iranian asylum seekers express that they felt being ignored and
the local people were prejudice against them. Some of the local people
thought as if they were people escaping from Shariah, and sometimes they
pointed out that the prejudice exceeded to scorning, verbal insult and
sometimes corporal violence. Especially at the interview done with the
asylum seekers in Aðrý it was learned that their relationship was so bad
with the local people. Iranian asylum seeking women pointed out that the
local men behaved them very badly and sometimes committed verbal and
corporal violence against them. As a result outdoor things like shopping
and so are done by men and children. Therefore it becomes difficult for the
women to learn Turkish.
The African asylum seekers also expressed that local people mostly
externalized them and took a racist manner against them.
Yet, the asylum seekers coming from Chechnya, Uzbekistan, Tunisia and
Afghanistan pointed out that the manner of the local people were mostly
acceptable. Of the asylum seekers expressing their satisfaction to their
close environment, especially the ones from Chechnya, Eastern Turkistan,
Iraqi Turkmens and Afghans, pointed out that the local people behaved
them helpfully and they had some nice ideas about the local people.
The rate of the asylum seekers interviewed having a health problem is
55%, the rate of the ones saying they have no health problems is 43%.
The diseases developed depending on the place survived is the basic one
in the problems of health. Among these are such diseases as lower and
upper respiratory system infections related to humidity and cold and
rheumatism mostly encountered. Diseases like psychological diseases,
depression, and anxiety can be developed depending on the situation one
is in. Also some more psychological diseases can be developed in asylum
seeking women as they have to stay in. Among the asylum seeking women
are some patients having a cancer treatment as well.
Of the asylum seekers having a problem of health, 71% have no
professional aid. In the asylum seekers whose applications were not
accepted and files were sealed the problem of not being able to get
professional aid is much more spread.
The rate of the ones having difficult in solving the problem of sheltering is
20%; of the ones having difficulty in meeting their food needs is 25; of the
ones having the problem of heating supply is 23%; and of the ones
expressing that they had difficulty in solving their health problems is 27,5.
These rates, in fact, reflect the urgent needs of the asylum seekers. The
rate of the ones saying that they can afford their needs is 4,5%, and these
people are supported by their families at the countries they left or by their
relatives in a third country. The rate of the asylum seekers asking for the
aid of sheltering, food, health and heating all together is 53,4%. While
responding the question of what kind of difficulties they had, they u! sually
express their whole needs.
Despite having a house to live in, the fact that the asylum seekers have to
share it with the others or that all the family members have to live
together has an important role on their expressing the problem of shelter
very intensively. Besides, there have been no convenient goods in most of
the houses. The humidity in the goods could lead to respiratory diseases.
The problem of heating could mostly be solved as illegal electricity use. In
some places asylum seekers expressed that they could get some
donations of coal from the municipality. Especially the ones in Nevþehir
pointed out that they had difficulties in supplying their essential needs,
starting from call and stressed that they collected the carton packages
from the streets and used them as heating m! aterial.
The other asylum seekers expressed that they had difficulties in affording
the rent per family. On the other hand they pointed out that having to go
round the police station in order to sign every day was a difficulty for them.
Of the institutions applied for aid, the rate of UNHCR is 43,88%. UNHCR is
often applied to be settled to a third country. In many places the asylum
seekers complain about not being able get the desired interest, being not
responded for their applications, not being able get a reply for their
applications despite the long time of waiting. Not but least, almost all of
the ones whose files are sealed point out that they are not fully satisfied
with the reason why their applications were refused. It was observed
about the Office in Van that some special complaints intensified over such
issues as "they weren't interested enough", and "they were prejudiced".
Of the institutions applied for aid, the rate of municipalities is 18,89%. They
are usually applied for the aid of heating and food.
The rate of NGO is 14,79%. They are usually applied for the aid of food,
clothing, goods, money and social support. In some places, especially
Istanbul, asylum seekers had some complaints about not being interested
by the social organizations of their own kin, which were established to help
themselves. It was pointed out that such humanitarian organizations as
Deniz Feneri asked for some documents which were not possible to obtain
from them and they ended the aid they had been granting as a result of
the desired documents.
The applications, at the rate of 11,74%, to the Governorships are mostly
related to the legal problems and the money.
The application made to the Police Offices is at the rate of 10,70. These
applications are often made to get legal support. It was expressed that
the police officers the Department of Foreigners didn't know the language
and it caused some communication problems. Also, it was declared that
there had been different practices in different provinces in terms of the
treatment the asylum seekers met and according to the initiative the staff
took and the identity of the asylum seeker there had been different
approaches. It was again told that they didn't have enough knowledge
and equipment, which sometimes caused some problems.
The rate of the municipalities as the institutions asylum seekers take aids
is 24,45%. It was determined that municipalities hand out the aids of
heating and mostly food (especially in the month of Ramadan).
The rate of the ones pointing out that they got aid from municipalities is
17,55% and the aid mostly consisted of the service of health and medical
equipment and medicine.
The rate of the ones saying they got aid from Governorship is 6,90%; and
the rate of the ones getting aid from Police Offices is 4,26%.
The rate of the ones saying they got aid from different aid organizations is
18,10%. NGOs have been working actively and donating some aids in
Kayseri, Van, Sivas, Konya and especially Istanbul and Ankara.
It is possible to divide the NGO dealing with the asylum seekers into two
main groups. First one is the group of the NGOs founded by the people
coming to Turkey earlier and they are dealing with the problems of the new
coming asylum seekers. As an example, The Solidarity Association of Iraqi
Turkmens, which is making efforts for the people coming from Iraq and for
the integration of them. Similarly, the societies of Caucasus Chechen
Solidarity Association and the Committees of Caucasus Chechen have been
helping to those escaping from the war in Chechnya and have to live here.
The Solidarity Association of Eastern Turkistan is also dealing with a similar
job and dealing with the people coming from their own country.
The organisations in the second group are the ones helping asylum
seekers without any nationality. Among these are such social
organisations as The Foundation of Human Rights and Freedom and
Humanitarian Aid (IHH), International Catholic Migration Committee (ICMC),
The Association of Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Refugees (SGDD).
IHH have been helping many asylum seekers, especially Chechens, in
supplying their basic needs like food. ICMC have been filling a gap by
giving a social service support to the asylum seekers. It helps to African
originated asylum seekers with whom the other organisations don't deal.
CARITAS and the Foundation of Volunteer Educators serve in the area of
education for the children of asylum seekers. They have been giving
important contribution to the education of the children of asylum seekers
by their volunteer educators. Such organizations as RIBAT communal
kitchen belonging to the Foundation of RIBAT in Konya have been serving
to the ones in need with the hot meals they have been distributing freely
every day.
The asylum seekers interviewed need a great number of things in the
country they sheltered as they had to leave their countries without any
preparation. The urgent needs of them are food and clothes.
The aid of food is mostly donated by charity lovers and municipalities.
Chechen asylum seekers get their donations, especially food, from IHH, the
Foundation of Caucasus Chechen Solidarity and The municipality of
Üsküdar. Charity lovers bring the meat of the animals they sacrificed due
the Id el Kibr (Kurban) to these camps. The asylum seekers expressing
they only got food like flour, sugar, tea pointed out that they couldn't get
any fresh fruit and milk for children during the summer season. It was
learned that the aid increased especially in the mount of Ramadan.
Heating material aid is at the rate of 8,6%, which is mostly donated by
municipalities.
It was revealed at the interviews that the rate of the aid of clothing was
15,6%. The asylum seekers interviewed expressed that the donations of
clothes were mostly used ones. They pointed out they sold the donated
used clothes at the markets and met their needs with the money they got
out of them.
The aid of home equipment and goods were mostly the second hand ones.
It was observed that at most of the houses there were only a little
furniture and a few goods. Refrigerator was used commonly in most of the
houses. The goods were composed of only a rug and a bed in most of the
houses.
The asylum seekers expressing that they get money are the ones most of
whose files were accepted and getting salaries from UNHCR. They
expressed that the money they were paid were not enough.
The rate of the asylum seekers getting medicine is 5,5% and the aid is
mostly donated by the charity lovers and the staff of health. The asylum
seekers pointed out that the medicine they were given by the citizens had
an invalid sell-by date.
The rate of the asylum seekers getting social support is 0,5% and most of
these people called the assistance of the personnel of Police Office, the
Department of Foreigners so.
The rate of the asylum seekers getting no aids as a whole 11,5% and they
expressed that they got the aids from the country of origin and the
relatives they had in the third countries.
Among the other institutions donating food to the asylum seekers are the
Association of Kayseri Feneri, the Communal Kitchen of Ribat Education, the
Association of Iraqi Turkmens, the Association of Culture and Solidarity of
Eastern Turkistan, the Association of Solidarity of Bulgarian Turks.
The institutions like International Catholic Migration Committee and the
Foundation of Improvement of Human Source have been serving as social
support and consultation to the asylum seekers.
53% of the interviewed asylum seeking women expressed that they left
their countries due to political reasons. But in the detailed interviews it
was observed that some of them hadn't left their countries by political
reasons.
Some part of 30% of the asylum seeking women stated that they left their
countries as a result of war. Most of these people are from Chechnya and
Iraq. Among the ones interviewed, the asylum seeking women from
Somalia and Kurdish women from Iran pointed out that they left their
countries due to the civil war in their countries.
The rate of the ones saying that they left their countries due to religious
reasons is 7%. There have been asylum-seeking people claiming they left
their countries due to religious reasons from Eastern Turkistan and Iran
whose members belong to Bahai community.
The rate of the ones saying that they left their countries due to economical
reasons is 2% and as a result they are the people thinking of passing into
a third country for an economical comfort or the ones subjected to poverty
due to civil war.
QUESTIONNAIRES TARGETTING CHILDREN
63% of children asylum seekers can't attend their education. Their not
going to school stems from such reasons as legal handicaps, economical
reasons, language problems. Of the students not going to school, 41%
expressed that they couldn't go school due to legal handicaps, 21% -due
to economical reasons, 19%-due to the anxiety and fear they felt. 10% of
children stated that they couldn't go to school due to language problem,
and 9% due to other reasons.
Just like Chechens, the education problem is very similar for the ones
known as "out of record asylum seekers". The students who could attend
school by the tolerable and good will attitude of the school administration
didn't have any document endorsing their records anywhere.
Even if there hasn't been any legal protection, 40,2% of the children
attending to school stated that they had no problem with the school. This
case shows the positive approaches of some children in spite of so many
problems.
Children expressed that they had difficulty in obtaining tools and
equipments. Indeed it can be said that all the asylum seekers could meet
very easily with these kind of problems.
Even if children can speak Turkish, they have some problems depending on
getting an education in a foreign language. The basic one is that they can't
understand the courses. It can cause some problems with their teachers.
The rate of children saying that they had a language problem is 10,4%,
and the rate for the ones saying they can't understand the courses is 8,9.
The rate of the ones expressing they couldn't make a friend is 7,5%. Even
though children could communicate very easily compared to the adult
asylum seekers, they lived such problems as being left alone. The rate of
the ones expressing they experienced a problem of communication is
1,5%.
Children were supported by different social organizations in the field
education as a rate of 50%. Among the supporter organisations are
Turkey Foundation of Education Volunteers, CARITAS and other volunteer
educators. The children who can't attend to a school with some reasons
have been educated in these organizations. Volunteer educators teach by
going to the places asylum seekers live. It was determined that if there are
some individuals with a high level education, they supported the children in
education. In this way the rate of the children having an education in the
family is up to 14,9%. The rate of the children getting support from the
surrounding is 35,1% ad in the factor of surrounding are his friends,
neighbours and other asylum seekers.!
Parents expect from the asylum seeking children to do some works. The
rate of children who were expected to do some housework is 33,52.
Younger children and boys expressed that they had difficulty in doing such
jobs. 13,07 of children stated that their families wanted them to go
shopping only. As they learned Turkish easier than adults, parents sent
their children to go shopping.
The rate of children who were expected to do an income related work is
10,8%. Mostly boys were expected to do an income related job and earn
money. Children do such jobs as tea making, shoe polishing, working as an
apprenctice. The rate of children who were expected to do an income
related work together with housework is 42,61%. This rate shows that
asylum seeking adults forced an early and not-easy-to-take responsibility
to children. The fact that children can adapt to the society they live in very
easily but that adults' language problems and that they had no working
permit legally increased the expectations from children.
The rate of children having a group of friend with whom they spend time is
up to 78,4. Either the children in Chechen camps or the other asylum
seeking children often have a group of friends. The children having no
group of friends expressed that they couldn't make a friend for such
reasons as being left alone, being scorned, the anxiety of facing with
violence.
The majority of the ones expressing they could not communicate and make
friends with the local children pointed out that they could not do so as they
were not Turkish citizens and subjecting to violence at the places they live.
Due to the fact that children learn Turkish easily and depending on their
nature they can adapt to their environment very easily and are successful
at communicating with the local people.
79,55% of the children pointed out that they didn't know any Turkish. It
was determined that the advantage of being able to speak Turkish provide
children with the ability to communicate easily and the success at the
school. The rate of the children knowing little or no Turkish is 20,45%. Due
to the fact that they are quite older and the duration of their staying in
Turkey is shorter, these children cannot speak Turkish so well.
Children pointed out that 40,91% of them stayed 1-3 years and 40,34% of
them 4-6 years in Turkey. The time they stayed in Turkey points out how
long the children waited with their parents to be sent to a third country.
79,55% of the asylum seeking children live with their parents. The rate of
the children living only with their mothers is 19,32. The fathers of some of
these children had died at a war, or some divorced from their mothers. The
children whose mothers and fathers separated are mostly Iran originated.
"CHECHEN GUESTS" NOT CONSIDERED AS ASYLUM SEEKERS
Most of the asylum-seeking Chechens coming to Turkey live in Ýstanbul.
The number of the Chechen asylum seekers coming to Turkey in 2002 is
1500 in Ýstanbul. As of 2004, the number of the asylum seeking people
living in different places in Ýstanbul is as follows; in some part of the
summer guest house of the State Railroads Department in Fenerbahçe 52
women, 45 children, 28 men and in total 125 people; at the basement flat
of the Halilur Rahman Mosque in Atakent district in Ümraniye, 40 men, 42
women 70 children and in total 125, 28 women, 42 children, 22 men and in
total 92 people in Tokatköy, Beykoz; again at the basement flat of a
building in Küçükköy 15 women, 22 children, 12 mend and in total 49
asylum seekers live together as a group in four different centre. In addition
to these four centres, there are 90 women, 70 ! children, 50 men and in
total 210 Chechens asylum seekers living out of Fatih. Also it was learned
that there were Chechen asylums seekers living as scatttered in different
districts of Ýstanbul. It is estimated the the total asylum seekers of
Chechen living in Turkey as about 1200, as some of them passed into
some European countries.
At the interviews and researches made at the camps of Chechen asylum
seekers in Beykoz, Ümraniye and Fenerbahçe, it was gathered that most
of the Chechens in Ýstanbul had to live their countries due to the war in
1999 and that some came to Turkey directly, and some came to Turkey
after they had stayed at a camp of asylum seekers for 6-7 months in
Ingushetia.
It was observed that Chechen asylum seekers were staying at a three-
storey building and the building itself had a problem of heating and it was
generally moistered. On April and May 2004 when the interviewed were
done, it was observed that 5 or 6 people stayed in one room at the
building where almost 100 people stayed and that the rooms were divided
into two wit large curtains or sometimes with some beds. It was also
expressed that the toilets were shared and water was cut out very often.
The people staying there pointed out that electricity was not existed for a
long time and it was supplied through charity lovers again. It was also
gathered that the municipality of Beykoz provided them with bread every
day, they survived with the aids by the craftsmen at the district gave so
often. It was observed that the families livin! g there couldn't supply the
need of gas for cooking and bathing and they acted collectively in
supplying the needs of clothing and cleaning.
According to the data gathered at end of February 2004, there has always
been cuts at the electricity and water at the camp of Beykoz. Whereas,
due to the fact that there have been no central heating system and
natural gas, the issue of heating were being met by electricity. Frequent
electricity cuts make the life harder fort the asylum seekers living there,
especially in winter time.
Owing to efforts of Tokatköy Headman, it was declared that asylum
seeking children would attend to school. The children were taken to health
care services to be vaccinated in group on 16th April, 2004. It was
determined that the volunteers taught children Turkish. Some of the
children pointed out that they were scorned at school and had difficulties in
expressing themselves.
Women pointed out that many of their friends had gynecological diseases
and the medicine donated to them had an invalid sell-by date.
Chechens in Ümraniye in Ýstanbul have been living at a flat under a
mosque. The shops built at the place where almost 150 people sheltered
were designed as houses and they were divided into two with curtains.
The bathrooms and toilets were shared in these areas. The asylum
seeking women interviewed pointed out that they had no problems as
water and electricity. It was also observed that the intellectual level is
high. Teachers in the group are the majority. It was expressed that the
members of families lived together.
The women interviewed pointed out that they made their livings by selling
second hand clothes and that the Municipality of Ümraniye helped them
with food and bread. Although the living standards are better than the one
in Fenerbahçe, it was learned that children were not accepted to the
neighboring schools due to the problem of residence certificate. They also
told that they couldn't solve the problem of education for children as they
were not allowed to open their own school at the basement floor of the
mosque. It was recorded that the children at the camp developed an
infection disease, smallpox.
Women expressed that their husbands worked at the construction but
couldn't get their wages, and they couldn't complain to anybody else. It
was also learned that women worked as the cleaning person at houses.
Fenerbahçe Camp is a summer camp belonging to Turkish Railroads
Department. It was determined that the camp, where almost 160 people
lived, had worse conditions compared to the others. The rooms they lived
are hut-like and they are humid. The rooms are divided by woods and 6-7
people live in a room of 3,5 m² . They expressed that they lived at that
place of which ceilings are dropping and floors are humid for 3,5 years
without electricity and that the electricity was a new case. Women told
that the winters were very hard for them, an asylum seeking child had died
due to gas poisoning while they were trying to heat by liquid petroleum
gas in the Id al Ramadan of 2003, and that another had died due to food
poisoning.
It was learned that apart from the camps of Ümraniye and Beykoz, the
husbands of most of the women in Fenerbahçe had stayed in Chechnya
and some of them had died.
The ones staying at the camp of Fenerbahçe pointed out that the
Municipality of Üsküdar gave them bread and hot meal regularly and that
their needs of health care were met by charity lovers. The asylum seekers
pointing out that nobody arrived when they had called the emergency
services expressed that they had no professional health care and the
medicine was used by charity lovers as well. As a result of conditions at the
camps they developed various diseases such as rheumatism and sinusitis
in particular.
The women interview expressed that they sold the donated used clothes
by cleaning at the markets and met their needs with the money they got
out of them.
The child told that they had difficulties in going to school, and that they
couldn't go to school when it snowed and they also pointed out that they
could get the books handed out freely only in the second term. The
mothers expressed that the donations were cut out in summer season and
that's why they couldn't meet the needs of their children such as fresh
fruit.
Some of the guests said that they decided to return their countries but
they weren't able to get money for it.
Apart from the campaign held by MAZLUMDER, such social organizations as
the Foundation of Caucasus-Chechen Solidarity, the Committees of
Caucasus-Chechen Solidarity, the Foundation of Human Rights and
Freedom and Humanitarian Aid, the Municipalities of Beykoz and Üsküdar,
the residents, craftsmen and neighbours of the districts have helped the
Chechen asylum seekers with food, health, education, heating materials.
The people with a desire of helping Chechen asylum seekers got their alms
and devotions across these families. As a result, it was determined that
they had difficulties in the other months except Ramadan. It was pointed
out that the official applications to collect donations for the Chechen
asylum seekers in the earlier years had been rejected by the authorities.
The guests had no chance to be treated at the state hospitals freely. They
are able to get treatment at the state hospitals by paying. It was gathered
that the Greater Municipality of Istanbul helped them with the health
services for a short time in the past.
It was expressed that of the one thousand Chechen asylum seekers
applying for the residence certificate only 40 of them were given
permission. Applying for the residence certificate could case some
problems. As an example, Ministry of Interior affairs wanted to banish 30
people applying for the residence certificate in June 2001 on grounds of
their passports were fake.
Besides, becoming invalid of the passports has been an important problem
for the asylum seekers. They have been having problems legally as they
have no chance of renewing their passports. As a result of all these
reasons, a great bulk of the Chechen asylum seeker have been surviving in
Turkey as a runaway due the problems of passport and residence. They
have been complaining about being sent to the Department of Foreigners
by the police constantly as they had no identity card and residence permit.
Some Chechens taken into custody could be detained in the Police Office,
the Department of Foreigners for a long while. A great number of people
were banished on the grounds of violation of visa as they were at the
position of a runaway legally. It was pointed out that Chechen asylum
seekers were banished mostly from the border of Nahcivan.
Chechens pointed out that they had problems in the applications they
made both at the Turkish Administrative Offices and at the Ankara office of
UNHCR, as they didn't apply in the legal duration of 10 days. It was also
expressed that the number of the applications to UNHCR was quite low.
UIGHUR (EASTER TURKISTANIAN) ASYLUM SEEKER
It was estimated that the number of Uighur asylum seekers is about 300-
400 and they almost all lived in Istanbul. It was stated that a great bulk of
them are the ones coming to Turkey after the year 1999 and most of them
were searched for, investigated, taken into custody and imprisoned after
the riot in the city of Gulca in 1997.
It was also determined that there were about 300-350 families (2500-
3000 people) of Uighur in Turkey apart from the ones in Istanbul. Most of
them settled to Istanbul after the year 1980. The ones residing in Turkey
for a long time have been accepted to the citizenship.
Uigur asylum seekers have often hired flats and resided at the houses of
their friends coming earlier than them. As they are not allowed to work on
the grounds of being a foreigner, they have in difficulty economically. They
earn often their living by doing temporary jobs like selling goods at the
markets and as street vendors.
Of the Uighur asylum seekers the ones coming from their families (or the
ones whose families come later) have got no residence certificate as they
live in Turkey as a runaway due to some reasons such as expiration of
visas or so on.
According to what the asylum seekers told at the interview, the
Government of China has been causing problems for the ones imprisoned
due to his political ideas for the suspects and the ones whose relatives
escaped abroad about passport and never give it. Those escaping from
China could do it either with a fake passport or by paying too much to get
a passport. Some also could do it as a runaway. It was also known that
Turkish Consulates in China mostly rejected the visa applications of Uigurs.
It has been claimed that the runaway people were executed when they
were sent back. According to the information gathered from the asylum
seekers, Kazaksthan sent back 3 asylum seeker escaping after the riot of
Gulca in 1997 and they were all executed. Pakistan sent 13 people living in
Kashmir back in 1997 and 12 of them were executed.
According to the statements of Uighur asylum seekers, Chinese
Government regarded the Uighur as "separatist" first and "terrorist" after
September 11. It has also been expressed that the activities of the
Foundation of Eastern Turkistan were regarded as terrorist activities.
Expressing that they had no news from the ones returning to China, the
asylum seekers stated that their telephone calls were listened and their
relatives were interrogated by the police regarding the telephone calls
they made and that their letters were mostly not delivered.
It can be said that the common point observed in the asylum seekers
is "lack of confidence". As an example, the ones visiting the Foundation of
Eastern Turkistan in Istanbul avoid taking a photo or a film even among
themselves. It was felt from the example of avoiding keeping a list to
collect charity for a friend in their group that they didn't feel confidence to
each other and even to their own foundation. Many times they didn't know
each others real names as they used a false passports.
It was stated that the ones leaving China with false passports can't
lengthen the duration of their passports later due to the fact that Chinese
government do not give passports to the Uighur people who are politically
imprisoned and considered to be suspicious.
It was learned that some of the Uighur asylum seeker could be detained at
the Department of Foreigners at the Police Office in Istanbul for months like
other asylum seekers.
Although not certain, of the asylum seekers, 3 families in 2001, 10 in 2002
and 5-6 in 2003 were settled to third country by the UNHCR. It was
estimated that about 40-50 applications are still waiting for approval at the
UNHCR. It was stated that most of the applications were from the ones
having to escape from the riot in 1987 and most applications were refused.
Due to the fact that the earlier applications were refused, later coming
people were reluctant in applying and it increased the current lack of
confidence. As a matter of fact some of the Uighur asylum seekers didn't
want to speak to our friends as their applications was refused by UNHCR
within the context of practicing the project.
Most of the Uighur asylum seekers pointed out that they had difficulty in
both Turkish administirative offices and UNHCR Ankara Office as they
couldn't meet the requirements of the condition of being able to apply as
an asylum seeker in 10 days after they entered the country in the
legislation of asylum seeking in Turkey.
Uighur asylum seekers expressed that they could make the officials believe
in what kind of sufferings they had had although they told them with a
great sincere. As an example an asylum seeker who left China 6 years ago
and whose family was still there responded very harshly to the
answer "You can return to China if you want" saying that "I would go for
my children whom I haven't seen for 6 years at least if I could, the officials
in UNHCR don't understand what we suffer from.".
Some of the asylum seekers complained about the long duration the
procedure for the status of asylum seeking and that they couldn't get any
verdict about them and they couldn't learned about their official objections
they made against the refusal although they had waited for 2 or 3 years.
PROPOSALS OF SOLUTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS
EU Process and The Legislation of Asylum Seeking in Turkey
The fact that Turkey signed 1951 convention with a geographical limit and
accepted the European originated people as asylum seekers stands for the
basic problem in this matter.
One of the issues frequently submitted to Turkey, which is geographically
in the position of a bridge, to solve in the process of EU is the regulations
she has to do in the legislation of asylum seeking. It was also observed
that there have been some problems in the process of the law of asylum
seeking and the rights of asylum seeking people at practice of the
legislations of the EU countries. However, the asylum seekers are given a
health service in many countries and asylum seekers have a right to access
the national health services in almost all countries.
While education in Austria is compulsory for both asylum seekers and
refugees whether he has a certificate of residence or whatever origin of
country he has, refugees benefit from education in Belgium and Denmark
but not asylum seekers. In Finland, both asylum seekers and refugees
benefit from the right of education.
It is observed that mostly governments and social organizations work in
cooperation over the matter of integration. Firstly the programs of
language are prepared. As an example refugees integration programs are
compulsory in Denmark and the access of the refugees into the field of
labour is decided by the committees of cities. In Finland attending to
language programs is voluntary and asylum seekers can benefit from the
language courses at the admission centres where they live. In Germany,
refugees have to wait for a long time to benefit from the service of
language as it takes 3-4 years for the people to get a respond to their
demand of asylum seeking. But, some social organizations hold private
courses for asylum seekers. In England, learning language is not regarded
as a right, and therefore not compulsory. Only in Lond! on, about 300
refugee committees carry out language courses for refugees.
In Spain the Institution of Labour and Vocational Education carries out a
broad program over the integration of refugees and immigrants. There
have been language and citizenship courses within the frame of the
program and the attendance is not compulsory. Bu the program is still at
the stage of trial.
Beyond these, European Union has been seeking ways to provide
collective standards in the asylum seeking procedures of all the Union
member countries. As a matter of fact, the commission has prepared a
work note titled "Towards the Collective Standards in Asylum Seeking
Procedures" in March, 1999 with the purpose of constructing a basis for
the discussion expected within the content of concordance of the Council
and the Parliament with the Treaties of Maastricht and Amsterdam. This
note is also a basis for the dialogue to be constructed with UNHCR and the
institutions out of government as well.
According to the note the Commission prepared, the only possible way of
concording the asylum seeking procedures is the preparation of only one
procedure. It is considered that only one procedure will be more
economical than the case where the appliers who are not being given a
status of a refugee could start additional procedures for an alternative
status. In particular, as some of the countries in Western Europe have a
complex and multi-staged system allowing to a multi staged appeal, it is
believed that this kind of systems should be concerted.
As a consequence, Turkey should both regulate a legislation and
reconstruct its legislation in order to be able to solve the problems the
refugees and asylum seekers suffer.
In this section of the study, the proposals brought up in order to take the
rights of refugees under protections will be presented.
PROPOSALS AND EXPECTATIONS REGARDING THE INTERNATIONAL
INSTITUTIONS AND EU
There have been adverse events in the legislations of asylum seeking and
immigration of many countries, especially in the legislation of the USA, after
September 11th. The same adverse process can be observed in EU
countries. However, it is clear that developed countries have a great deal
of participation in the events for the people in leaving their countries and
wishing to shelter to another country and that's why they should allocate
much more sources for this subject.
The most important responsibility of these countries is that they should
support the enlargement of the description asylum seeking and the law of
asylum seeking. They should fulfill their guarantees towards the institution
working intergovernmentally, especially UNCHR, and they should support
the works of both UNHCR and national or international organizations
dealing with this problem. Because, UNHCR, the only institution in this field,
could deal with a small number of asylum seekers and it cannot meet the
needs of them