The Notion of Migration and its Effects on Syrian and Yemeni Immigrant Families
Eymen Erkmen, Orhan KoçakThis research has been conducted to examine and evaluate the changes and transformations in the family structure of Syrian and Yemeni immigrants who live in the Istanbul/Beylikdüzü district and who have migrated to Istanbul due to war, political pressure and civil war in Syria and Yemen. The changes and transformations in the family structure of migrants have been examined and evaluated in terms of economic and socio-cultural, educational, health and housing aspects. In this study, in which qualitative research methods have been used, in-depth interviews have been conducted with 14 Syrian and Yemeni immigrant women who migrated to Istanbul for the stated reasons and now live in the Istanbul/ Beylikdüzü district. In addition, some time has been spent with the social group in which the study was conducted. Findings obtained as a result of the interviews, within the framework of certain concepts and themes were gathered under the following headings: demographic data, socioeconomic level, socio-cultural structure, education, health, arrival in Turkey and settlement. As a result of the research, migration has had economic, socio-cultural, educational, health and housing impacts on participants’ lives. These impacts have caused changes and transformations of family balances, family relations and family’s environment relations, family type, family responsibilities and family role distributions in the family structure of the participants.
Göçün Suriyeli ve Yemenli Göçmenlerin Aile Yapıları Üzerine Etkileri
Eymen Erkmen, Orhan KoçakBu araştırma, Suriye ve Yemen’de yaşanan iç karışıklıklar, savaş, siyasi baskı vb. nedenlerle İstanbul’a göç etmiş ve İstanbul/Beylikdüzü ilçesinde ikamet eden Suriyeli ve Yemenli göçmenlerin aile yapısındaki değişim ve dönüşümleri; ekonomik, sosyo-kültürel, eğitim, sağlık ve barınmaya ilişkin incelemek ve değerlendirmek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Nitel araştırma yöntemlerinin kullanıldığı bu çalışmada, belirtilen nedenlerle İstanbul’a göç etmiş ve İstanbul/Beylikdüzü ilçesinde ikamet eden Suriyeli ve Yemenli 14 göçmen kadınla derinlemesine görüşmeler yapılmıştır. Ayrıca sahada bulunulan süre içerisinde çalışma yürütülen toplumsal grupla kısmi zaman geçirilmiştir. Yapılan görüşmeler sonucunda elde edilen analiz sonuçları, belirli kavramlar ve temalar çerçevesinde; demografik veriler, sosyo-ekonomik düzey, sosyo-kültürel yapı, eğitim, sağlık, Türkiye’ye geliş ve yerleşme süreci başlıkları altında toplanmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda; göçün katılımcıların hayatında ekonomik, sosyo-kültürel, eğitim, sağlık ve barınmaya ilişkin etkiler yarattığı görülmüştür. Bu etkiler, katılımcıların aile yapısında; aile içi dengelerinde, aile içi ilişkilerinde ve ailenin çevre ilişkilerinde, aile tipinde, aile içi sorumluluklarda ve aile içi rol dağılımlarında değişim ve dönüşümlerin yaşanmasına sebep olmuştur.
Migration is a phenomenon that has been going on since the beginning of human history. It can be defined as the fact that individuals or communities leave their places for some reason and go to other places temporarily or permanently. This process, which is defined as a displacement movement, contains many factors that affect the structure of society. There might be many reasons behind migration such as economic insufficiencies, political pressures, natural disasters, wars, or civil wars.
Migration is simply described as a displacement movement but it is not just a displacement movement. Migration is a process that has many social, cultural, economic, etc. effects. Therefore, migration should be evaluated considering the whole process.
One of the most important causes of migration is economic reasons. When individuals and families feel economically inadequate, they seek a life where they can live in better conditions and when they get these conditions, they migrate from their regions to other regions where they can live in better contitions. Although economic reasons are one of the most significant causes of migration, it is not the only reason. There are many reasons such as social, cultural, political etc.
Due to war, civil war, regime change, political pressures, people may have to migrate from their regions. Mandatory migrations under these conditions are important because individuals, families and communities migrate to live in their religion freely, speak their language freely, and avoid torture and death. In an environment where life and property security is at risk as a result of events due to political reasons, economic activities may slow down and may come to a standstill. In such cases, people quit their work and production and they try to migrate to safe areas en masse. Therefore, migration due to compulsory reasons negatively affects the economy of both the country and the people but the effects of migration are not limited to these. Migration does not only affect immigrants or that country, but also the final country and transit country.
Turkey which is both a transit and final country is located on the migration routes due to its geographical location. It is a bridge between Asia and Europe, which is why it is affected a lot by migration waves. Turkey has received immigration from many different countries and continues to receive it. In recent years there has been a huge increase in migration to Turkey. The problems in the Middle East is one of the major causes of increasing migration to Turkey. The Arab Spring which started in 2010 can be shown as a good example of this situation.
The anti-power demonstrations that started in Tunisia on 17 December 2010 and spread rapidly in the Arab Geography affected Arab countries such as Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Algeria and Jordan in 2011, and as a result, civil rebellion against the regime has begun in these countries as well. This process is called “The Arab Spring”. Since the beginning of the Arab Spring, migration from countries that have experienced this process to neighboring countries and other parts of the world has begun. One of the most affected countries by this migration wave is Turkey.
As it is known, migration affects immigrants and their families, and the country that they migrated to. Immigrants who have to migrate may experience economic problems, cultural adjustment problems, language problems, or psychological problems due to the difficult process of migration. In addition, as a result of the effects of migration, immigrants and their families may break off from life sources, habits and some values that are identified with their own lives. In this process they might be exposed to some effects that change their family structures. A change in any member of the family may affect the whole family and as a result, transformations may occur in the family structure.
This research has been conducted with 14 Syrian and Yemeni immigrant women by using qualitative research methods (depth interview and partial participation observation) to examine and evaluate the changes and transformations in the family structure of Syrian and Yemeni immigrants who live in the Istanbul/Beylikdüzü district and who have migrated to Istanbul due to war, political pressure and civil war.
As a result of the research, migration has had economic, socio-cultural, educational, health and housing impacts on participants’ lives. These impacts have caused changes and transformations of family balances, family relations and family’s environment relations, family type, family responsibilities and family role distributions in the family structure of the participants.
