Asylum Seekers’ Social Integration Problems and Access to Social Services: A Case of Düzce Satellite City
Emel Coşkun, Çetin YılmazThis paper analyzes the problems that Iraqi, Iranian, Syrian, and Afghan asylum seekers face in social integration and in accessing social services in the satellite city of Düzce. Adopting a qualitative research approach, in-depth interviews with 21 asylum seekers and two key informants from public institutions were conducted. Additionally, several public institutions in education, health, and social services, as well as non-governmental organizations’ activities for asylum seekers, were investigated. Our findings show that although asylum seekers are entitled to some social rights, including education, health services, and employment, they have difficulties accessing these rights due to language barriers, work obligations, health problems, and gendered responsibilities. Asylum seekers cannot access healthy accommodations and usually hold low-paying or irregular employment with uncertain pay, and face social exclusion and stigmatization in Düzce. These problems deepen their psychological problems caused by the war. Asylum seekers consist of different groups including children, youth, the elderly, disabled individuals, and single women, all with different problems and needs. In particular, female asylum seekers living alone or with children are exposed to gender-based risks, including sexual harassment, in their search for employment or aid, and they have limited access to psycho-social and economic support. At local level, the needs of asylum seekers are met through a “philanthropist” approach where social workers are not involved. There is a need to build human rights-centered, gender-sensitive, accessible psycho-social, and economic support mechanisms for asylum seekers in Düzce.
Sığınmacıların Toplumsal Uyum Sorunları ve Sosyal Hizmetlere Erişimi: Düzce Uydu Kent Örneği
Emel Coşkun, Çetin YılmazBu yazı Düzce uydu kentinde yaşayan Irak, İran, Suriye ve Afganistanlı sığınmacıların toplumsal yaşama uyumda ve sosyal hizmetlere erişimde yaşadıkları sorunları ele almaktadır. Nitel araştırma yaklaşımının benimsendiği bu çalışma kapsamında, 21 sığınmacı ve sığınmacıların bu hizmetlere erişiminde kilit konumdaki iki kamu çalışanı ile derinlemesine görüşmeler yapılmıştır. Ayrıca eğitim, sağlık ve sosyal hizmet alanında çeşitli kamu kuruluşlarının ve sivil toplum kuruluşlarının sığınmacılara yönelik faaliyetleri incelenmiştir. Çalışma bulguları Türkiye’de de sığınmacılara eğitim, sağlık ve sosyal yardımlara erişim gibi bir takım sosyal haklar tanınmakta birlikte sığınmacıların bu haklara erişiminde sorunlar yaşadığını göstermektedir. Türkçe dil engeli, çalışma zorunluluğu, sağlık sorunları ve toplumsal cinsiyete dayalı sorumluluklar gibi engeller bu haklara erişimi kısıtlayabilmektedir. Düzce’deki sığınmacılar sağlıklı barınma olanaklarına erişememekte, düşük ücretli çalışma veya ücretini alamama sorunları ile karşılaşmakta, toplumsal dışlanma ve damgalanma gibi farklı sorunlarla baş başa kalmakta ve karşılaştıkları sorunlar savaşın yol açtığı psikolojik sorunlarını daha da derinleştirmektedir. Özellikle tek ya da çocuklarıyla yaşayan sığınmacı kadınların psiko-sosyal ve ekonomik destek mekanizmalarına kısıtlı erişimi, iş ve yardım arayışlarında onları cinsel taciz gibi toplumsal cinsiyete dayalı risklere maruz bırakmaktadır. Sığınmacıların ihtiyaçlarına yerel düzeyde sivil toplumun desteği ile ve sosyal çalışmacılarının dahil olmadığı bir “hayırseverlik” anlayışı ile çözüm üretilmesine çalışılmaktadır. Sığınmacılar çocuk, genç, yaşlı, engelli ve tek yaşayan kadınlar gibi farklı gruplardan oluşmaktadır ve bu grupların farklı sorunları ve ihtiyaçları bulunmaktadır. Düzce’deki sığınmacıların erişebileceği insan hakları merkezli toplumsal cinsiyete duyarlı psiko-sosyal destek mekanizmalarının kurulması gerekmektedir.
Turkey has been caught unprepared for the influx of asylum seekers and migrants since the 1990s and the increasing number of refugees fleeing the Syrian war since 2011. Today, more than 3.5 million Syrians and over 300,000 non-Syrian asylum seekers are residing in Turkey. They are among the most disadvantaged groups in Turkish society. Turkey’s migration and asylum system has been undergoing a transition process since the early 2000s. Recently, the Law on Foreigners and International Protection (LFIP) in 2013 and the Regulation on Temporary Protection (RTP) in 2016 have been adopted to categorize and manage different asylum-seeker groups. The main difference between them is that non-Syrian asylum seekers can apply for international protection to be resettled to a third country and must register in a satellite city. Today, there are more than 60 satellite cities as defined by the Ministry of Interior Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM). According to the Article 82-1 of Law on Foreigners and International Protection (2014), refugees and asylum seekers are only allowed to live in satellite cities for reasons of security and public order, and to prevent accumulation in big cities. Düzce is one of the satellite cities as defined by DGMM. More than seven thousand asylum seekers, mostly from Iraq, Syria, Iran and Afghanistan, are currently living in Düzce. This paper explores the difficulties of accessing social services and the social integration problems of asylum seekers in Düzce from a gender- and human rights-based social-work perspective.
This paper is based on an empirical research using a qualitative approach and a snowball sampling method. In-depth interviews with 21 asylum seekers and two key informants from public institutions, Düzce Governorship and the City Branch of Migration Management, were conducted. In addition, several public institutions in education, health, and social services, as well as non-governmental organizations’ activities for asylum seekers, were investigated. The socio-economic support options in Düzce include free education for children, Turkish-language courses for adults, free access to health care (including free medications) and 120 TRY given by Kızılay Card to meet some requirements such as food and shelter. Also, some NGOs provide irregular economic support based on humanitarian aid. Our findings show that although asylum seekers are entitled to access some social services, including education, health services or employment, they have difficulties accessing them due to language barriers, work obligations, health problems, and gendered responsibilities.
Asylum seekers cannot access healthy accommodations and usually face lowpaying or irregular employment and/or non-payment problems, social exclusion and stigmatization in Düzce; and these problems deepen their psychological problems caused by the war. In particular, female asylum seekers have serious problems meeting their daily needs, such as food and shelter, accessing to health care, and public services. As a result of limited access to psycho-social and economic support mechanisms, female asylum seekers face unique gender-based risks, including sexual harassment in their search for employment or aid.
At the local level, the needs of asylum seekers are met through a “philanthropist” approach, where social workers are not involved. Asylum seekers consist of different groups, including children, youth, the elderly, disabled individuals, and single women, and they all have different problems and needs. Based on empirical research, some recommendations can be made to support asylum seekers more effectively. In general, these recommendations include the empowerment of asylum seekers via different support mechanisms, such as an easy access to multi-lingual information services, accommodation, and human rights-based socio-economic supports. Most importantly, in order to fight against gender-based violence, human rights based and gender-sensitive psycho-social and economic support mechanisms should be developed for female asylum seekers in Düzce and all over Turkey.
