Şehit Yakını, Gazi ve Gazi Yakınlarına Yönelik Uygulanan Sosyal Politikalar: Sakarya İli Örneği
Emel İştar Işıklı, Sevgi NalbantoğluTürk tarihinde geçmişten günümüze şehit ve gazi kavramının son derece önemli bir yere sahip olduğu görülmektedir. Türkiye Cumhuriyeti devleti sosyal devlet olma ilkesi gereği çeşitli terör olayları ve savaşlar sonucunda şehitlerin yakınları veya bu olaylar sonucunda engelli durumuna gelen gaziler ve onların yakınlarına yaşadıkları travma sonucunda hayatlarına devam edebilmeleri amacıyla çeşitli sosyal politikalar geliştirilmiştir. Ekonomi, sosyal, psikoloji vb. birçok alanda geliştirilen sosyal politika uygulamaları zaten dezavantajlı gruplar arasında yer alan şehit yakını, gazi ve gazi yakınlarının maddi anlamda yaşam kalitelerini iyileştirirken sosyal açıdan da dayanışmayı arttırdığı, bu sebeple de son derece önemli bir yere sahip olduğu düşünülmektedir. Bu çalışmada uygulanan sosyal politikalar, şehit yakını, gazi ve gazi yakınları tarafından algılanan yeterlilik düzeyleri ve var olan eksikliklerin giderilmesine yönelik çözüm önerilerine yer verilmiştir. Yapılan literatür taramasında sağlanan sosyal politikalar konusunda oldukça az çalışmaya rastlanılmıştır. Sakarya ilinde ikamet eden 20 şehit yakını, gazi ve gazi yakınına yarı yapılandırılmış mülakat tekniği ile görüşme yapılmış ve yapılan araştırma sonucunda devlet tarafından sağlanan sosyal politikaların yeterli düzeyde olduğu fakat özellikle ekonomik anlamda daha da geliştirilmesi ve günümüz şartlarına uyarlanması gerektiği sonucuna varılmıştır. Ayrıca şehit ve gazi çocuklarının eğitim seviyelerinin genelde düşük olduğu ve bu durumun sosyal ve psikolojik hayatlarını etkilediği tespit edilmiştir.
Social Policies Implemented for Martyrs’ Relatives, Veterans and Veterans’ Relatives: The Case of the Sakarya Province
Emel İştar Işıklı, Sevgi NalbantoğluIt is seen that the concept of martyr and veteran has an extremely important place in Turkish history from the past to the present. In accordance with the principle of being a social state of the Republic of Turkey, various social policies have been developed to enable the relatives of the martyrs as a result of various terrorist incidents and wars or the veterans who became disabled as a result of these events and their relatives to continue their lives as a result of the trauma they experienced. Economics, social, psychology, etc. Social policy practises developed in many areas are thought to have an extremely important place, as they improve the quality of life of the relatives of martyrs, veterans and veterans, who are already among the disadvantaged groups, while increasing the social solidarity. In this study, the social policies implemented, the level of competence perceived by the relatives of martyrs, veterans and veterans, and solution suggestions for eliminating the existing deficiencies are included. In the literature review, very few studies were found on the social policies provided. 20 relatives of martyrs, veterans and veterans residing in Sakarya were interviewed with a semi-structured interview technique, and as a result of the research, it was concluded that the social policies provided by the state were at a sufficient level, but that they were developed further in economic terms and adapted to today’s conditions. In addition, it has been determined that the education level of the children of martyrs and veterans is generally low, and this situation affects their social and psychological lives.
In Turkey, the social policies applied to the relatives of martyrs, veterans and veterans differ in the relevant legislation according to the type of event that caused them to be martyrs or veterans and the degree of their being affected by this event. It is thought that this study will clarify how by whom and under what conditions the social policies are applied. In the study, the rights provided on the basis of state institutions and their implementation have been examined and attention has been drawn to the adequacy level of these rights and the places where it is thought that there are deficiencies that need to be improved. The social policies implemented for the relatives of martyrs, veterans and veterans were evaluated in psycho-socio-economic terms.
There are very few studies in the literature on social policies implemented for the relatives of martyrs, veterans and veterans. In this study, as in Erzincanlı’s study in 2020, it was revealed that the participants were largely satisfied with the social policies implemented, but differences between statuses were observed. In Karabulut’s study conducted in 2017, it was observed that the degree of satisfaction with the social policies implemented was high.
In general, the problems encountered in the use of some positive privileges provided to individuals in the disadvantaged group negatively affect the relatives of martyrs, veterans and veterans who are already psychologically, sociologically and economically worn out. Instead of struggling to obtain the new rights they need, they must ensure that their existing rights are recognised.
In this study, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 20 participants and content analysis was conducted in the light of the data obtained. In addition to the answers given to the questions during the interviews, observations were made. Because of the research, it was seen that the level of adequacy of the social policies utilised by the participants was high. In addition, it has been concluded that there are places that need to be developed according to the areas where social policies are utilised and are considered to be missing.
When the participants were asked the question "How do you deal with these problems you face?", they said that they mostly found a solution by complaining to the necessary authorities. In particular, the General Directorate of Martyrs’ Relatives and Veterans, which was established in 2011 and started its activities within the Ministry of Family and Social Services as the General Directorate in 2018, played an active role in areas such as coordination and information of the rights provided and made their work easier. Participants see the Non-Governmental Organisations to which they are affiliated as another solution.
Since the rights whose procedures are carried out by the SSI Presidency generally cover various payments in the field of economy, these payments are often not sufficient in today’s conditions. Since these payments differ according to those in various statuses, it is seen that these payments sometimes lead to inequality among the relatives of martyrs, veterans and veterans. In this context, it is thought that updating the payments according to today’s conditions and eliminating discrimination between statuses will improve the quality of life of service beneficiaries.
The rights provided in terms of employment are generally not sufficient. The right to employment, which is of utmost importance in terms of standing on their own feet, is not sufficient as the number of relatives of martyrs and veterans increases. For example, when a martyr has 3 children, 2 of them can benefit while the other child cannot. This situation creates difficulties in terms of who will benefit, while on the other hand, it decreases the quality of life. The participants stated that they demanded support, especially for veterans engaged in agriculture. From this point of view, it is thought that it would be appropriate to provide various incentives to veterans who make a living with agriculture.
It is known that they do not benefit equally from the rights provided in the field of health services, as in other rights, since there are status differences according to the laws. In addition, the fact that the personnel working mostly in health service providers are sometimes not informed about the legislation confronts the relatives of martyrs, veterans and veterans who are already there due to their illnesses with difficult situations. In this context, it is thought that informing public personnel about the procedures concerning the rights of martyrs, veterans and veterans’ relatives and diversifying and increasing the seminars held at this point will play an effective role in solving the problem.
It has been observed that satisfaction with the rights provided in the field of education is generally high. However, it was observed that some of the participants did not benefit from the right to education for themselves or their children because such a right was not yet recognised when they were martyr relatives or veterans, and then they did not benefit from it when their children grew up. In addition, it was also observed that especially the soldiers who were martyred in the previous years were martyred while they were still single, so they did not have children who would benefit from the right to education. It was observed that the participants stated that they tended to refuse to receive education for their children. At this point, it is thought that organising seminars to encourage the children of martyrs and veterans to receive education will have effective results.
While the relatives of martyrs, veterans and veterans who are generally satisfied with the rights provided by the Ministry of National Defence, it is seen that the right to use the military facilities, which is the most used, creates a problem when those with a certain status can enter while others cannot.
It is thought that providing psychological support against post-traumatic stress disorder of martyrs’ relatives, veterans and veterans’ relatives, who are worn out due to the processes experienced, even if they do not show any symptoms, will increase the quality of life. In addition, it is thought that regular group work by multidisciplinary teams consisting of social workers and psychologists within the scope of psychosocial support will positively affect the quality of life.
