BibTex RIS Cite

Refugee Women and Children of a Stateless Generation: From Rightlessness to Poverty

Year 2016, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 39 - 58, 01.06.2016

Abstract

The world’s ongoing refugee crises unveils one of the huge but hidden problem of statelessness that under Syrian domestic law the right to pass citizenship on to children is granted to only men. Although The UN convention obliges the member governments to confer nationality to any child who is born in their territory, only a few countries have intended to implement the principle properly, partly due to the fact than Syrian refugee women cannot even register their children as Syrian nationals without a Syrian father who had most probably died during the civil war. Thus Syrian children as a coming generation scattered all over the world have long been left stateless. They are not only deprived of their own nationality, but also of the nationality of any country in which they are born. Refugee mothers are generally unaware that their children with no legal citizenship will be unable to be legally employed, to own property or even go to school. In other words, refugee mothers are unaware how their rightlessness, by virtue of being woman, will lead their children to marginalization and thus utmost poverty. In this paper, I will propose a philosophical approach to how the social problem of poverty is acutely related to the political one, especially to the politics of right in this case. In order to do this, I first evoke one of the most important contemporary political theorists Hannah Arendt’s analysis of paradoxical nature of human rights and the resulting conception of naked human being, which utterly leads to statelessness. After this, I articulate Arendt’s rigorous distinction between ‘the social’ and ‘the political’, where the former’s problems (i.e., poverty) occupy the latter in modern mentality. Having accepted that Arendt’s distinction is indeed more than strict, but still invaluable, I then propose that the social problems such as poverty demand publicizing practices as a matter of common concern which would otherwise be destined to be forgotten as a private issue, with a particular emphasis on the representative practices which is supposed to be performed meticulously. Lastly, I locate the critical figure of the Syrian refugee mother in the context of Turkey and the newly proposed category of possible rights of having a homeland.

References

  • Agamben, G. (1998). Homo sacer: Sovereign power and bare life, Stanford University Press.
  • Agamben, G. (2000). Means without end: Notes on politics, University of Minesota Press.
  • Arendt, H. (1994). İnsanlık durumu, İletişim Yayınları.
  • Arendt, H. (2014). Totalitarizmin kaynakları/2: Emperyalizm, İletişim Yayınları.
  • Barnes, J. (Ed). (1983). Complete Works of Aristotle, Volume 2: The Revised Oxford Translati- on (Vol 2), Princeton University Press.
  • Black, I. (2016). Report on Syria conflict finds 11.5% of population killed or injured. The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/11/report-on-syria-confli- ct-finds-115-of-population-killed-or-injured (11 Şubat 2016)
  • Brubaker, R. (1994). Citizenship and nationhood in France and Germany, Harvard Univer- sity Press.
  • Collins, D. (2016). Refugee women in Lebanon show incredible resilience despite exploita- tion and abuse. The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/refu- gee-women-lebanon-exploitation_us_56c22cd5e4b08ffac1260ee7 (11 Şubat 2016)
  • Edwards, A. (2015). ‘Refugee’ or ‘migrant’ - Which is right? UNHCR News and Stories. http://www.unhcr.org/55df0e556.html (11 Şubat 2016)
  • Gaynor, T. (2015). 2015 likely to break records for forced displacement study. UNHCR News and Stories. http://www.unhcr.org/5672c2576.html (11 Şubat 2016)
  • Gündoğdu, A. (2015). Rightlessness in an age of rights: Hannah Arendt and the contemporary struggles of migrants, Oxford University Press.
  • Heller, A. (1990). Can modernity survive?, University of California Press.
  • Hobsbawm, E. (1994). Kısa 20. Yüzyıl: 1914-1991 Aşırılıklar Çağı, Everest Yayınları.
  • Osborne, L., Russell, R. (2015). Refugee crisis creates stateless generation of children in lim- bo. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/27/refugee-cri- sis-creating-stateless-generation-children-experts-warn (11 Şubat 2016)
  • Pitkin, H. F. (1998). The attack of the blob: Hannah Arendt’s concept of the social, University of Chicago Press.
  • Reardon, C. (2014). Syrian refugee women fight for survival as they head families alone. UNHCR News and Stories. http://www.unhcr.org/53bb77049.html (11 Şubat 2016)
  • Uçum, M. (2016). ‘Yurt edinme hakkı’ gerçek olabilir mi? Serbestiyet. http://www.serbesti- yet.com/yazarlar/mehmet-ucum/yurt-edinme-hakki-gercek-olabilir-mi-660777 (11 Şubat 2016)
  • Unal, S. (2015). The Syrian refugee mother transforming women’s lives in Turkey. UNHCR News and Stories http://www.unhcr.org/55b9f4689.html (11 Şubat 2016)
  • UNHR. (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child. http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Professio- nalInterest/Pages/CRC.aspx (11 Şubat 2016)
  • Resmi Gazete. (2014). Geçici Koruma Yönetmeliği. http://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eski- ler/2014/10/20141022-15-1.pdf (11 Şubat 2016)
  • Syrian Center for Policy Research-SCPR. (2016). Confronting Fragmentation. http:// scpr-syria.org/publications/policy-reports/confronting-fragmentation/(11 Şubat 2016)
  • İç İşleri Bakanlığı. (1964). Türk Vatandaşlığı Kanununun Uygulanmasına İlişkin Yönetmelik. http://www.nvi.gov.tr/Files/File/Mevzuat/Yururlukten_Kaldirilanlar/Yonetmelik/ pdf/turk_vatandasligi_kanu_uyg_yonetmelik.pdf (11 Şubat 2016)

Göçmen Kadınlar ve Devletsiz Neslin Çocukları: Hak Mahrumiyetinden Yoksulluğa

Year 2016, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 39 - 58, 01.06.2016

Abstract

D ünyada hâlihazırda devam eden mülteci krizi, büyük ancak gizli devletsizlik sorunlarından birini açığa çıkardı. Suriye iç hukukuna göre çocuklara vatandaşlık devri, sadece erkeklere verilmiştir. Birleşmiş Milletler Antlaşması her ne kadar üye devletlere, kendi topraklarında doğan çocuklara uyruk vermeyi zorunlu kılsa da, Suriyeli göçmen kadınların, muhtemelen iç savaşta ölmüş olan bir baba olmaksızın, çocuklarını Suriye uyruklarıyla kayıt yaptıramamalarından dolayı pek az ülke bu ilkeyi doğru bir şekilde uygulamaya sokma eğilimindedir. Böylelikle Suriyeli çocuklar, dünyanın her tarafına yayılmış yaklaşan bir nesil olarak uzun vadede devletsiz bırakılmıştır; bu çocuklar yalnızca kendi uyruklarından yoksun değil, aynı zamanda doğdukları ülkelerin uyruklarından da yoksundur. Göçmen kadınlar çocuklarının yasal olarak işe giremeyeceklerinin, mülk sahibi olamayacaklarının ve hatta okula bile gidemeyeceklerinin farkında değiller. Diğer bir deyişle, göçmen kadınlar, sırf kadın olduklarından dolayı içinde bulundukları bu hak mahrumiyetinin, çocuklarını nasıl da alabildiğine yoksulluğa sürükleyeceğinin farkında değiller.katı da olsa değerini korumaktadır. Buradan yola çıkarak, yoksulluk gibi toplumsal sorunların, ortak bir kaygı meselesi olarak kamusallaştırma pratiklerine gerek duyduğunu, aksi takdirde özel alanda kalarak unutulacağını öne süreceğim. Bu pratikler, titizlikle yapılması gereken temsil pratikleridir. Son olarak, Suriyeli mülteci kadın figürünü, Türkiye ve yakın zamanda sunulan olası yurt edinme hakkı bağlamında konumlandırmaya çalışacağım

References

  • Agamben, G. (1998). Homo sacer: Sovereign power and bare life, Stanford University Press.
  • Agamben, G. (2000). Means without end: Notes on politics, University of Minesota Press.
  • Arendt, H. (1994). İnsanlık durumu, İletişim Yayınları.
  • Arendt, H. (2014). Totalitarizmin kaynakları/2: Emperyalizm, İletişim Yayınları.
  • Barnes, J. (Ed). (1983). Complete Works of Aristotle, Volume 2: The Revised Oxford Translati- on (Vol 2), Princeton University Press.
  • Black, I. (2016). Report on Syria conflict finds 11.5% of population killed or injured. The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/11/report-on-syria-confli- ct-finds-115-of-population-killed-or-injured (11 Şubat 2016)
  • Brubaker, R. (1994). Citizenship and nationhood in France and Germany, Harvard Univer- sity Press.
  • Collins, D. (2016). Refugee women in Lebanon show incredible resilience despite exploita- tion and abuse. The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/refu- gee-women-lebanon-exploitation_us_56c22cd5e4b08ffac1260ee7 (11 Şubat 2016)
  • Edwards, A. (2015). ‘Refugee’ or ‘migrant’ - Which is right? UNHCR News and Stories. http://www.unhcr.org/55df0e556.html (11 Şubat 2016)
  • Gaynor, T. (2015). 2015 likely to break records for forced displacement study. UNHCR News and Stories. http://www.unhcr.org/5672c2576.html (11 Şubat 2016)
  • Gündoğdu, A. (2015). Rightlessness in an age of rights: Hannah Arendt and the contemporary struggles of migrants, Oxford University Press.
  • Heller, A. (1990). Can modernity survive?, University of California Press.
  • Hobsbawm, E. (1994). Kısa 20. Yüzyıl: 1914-1991 Aşırılıklar Çağı, Everest Yayınları.
  • Osborne, L., Russell, R. (2015). Refugee crisis creates stateless generation of children in lim- bo. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/27/refugee-cri- sis-creating-stateless-generation-children-experts-warn (11 Şubat 2016)
  • Pitkin, H. F. (1998). The attack of the blob: Hannah Arendt’s concept of the social, University of Chicago Press.
  • Reardon, C. (2014). Syrian refugee women fight for survival as they head families alone. UNHCR News and Stories. http://www.unhcr.org/53bb77049.html (11 Şubat 2016)
  • Uçum, M. (2016). ‘Yurt edinme hakkı’ gerçek olabilir mi? Serbestiyet. http://www.serbesti- yet.com/yazarlar/mehmet-ucum/yurt-edinme-hakki-gercek-olabilir-mi-660777 (11 Şubat 2016)
  • Unal, S. (2015). The Syrian refugee mother transforming women’s lives in Turkey. UNHCR News and Stories http://www.unhcr.org/55b9f4689.html (11 Şubat 2016)
  • UNHR. (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child. http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Professio- nalInterest/Pages/CRC.aspx (11 Şubat 2016)
  • Resmi Gazete. (2014). Geçici Koruma Yönetmeliği. http://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eski- ler/2014/10/20141022-15-1.pdf (11 Şubat 2016)
  • Syrian Center for Policy Research-SCPR. (2016). Confronting Fragmentation. http:// scpr-syria.org/publications/policy-reports/confronting-fragmentation/(11 Şubat 2016)
  • İç İşleri Bakanlığı. (1964). Türk Vatandaşlığı Kanununun Uygulanmasına İlişkin Yönetmelik. http://www.nvi.gov.tr/Files/File/Mevzuat/Yururlukten_Kaldirilanlar/Yonetmelik/ pdf/turk_vatandasligi_kanu_uyg_yonetmelik.pdf (11 Şubat 2016)
There are 22 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language Turkish
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Özlem Ünlü

Publication Date June 1, 2016
Published in Issue Year 2016 Volume: 2 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Ünlü, Ö. (2016). Göçmen Kadınlar ve Devletsiz Neslin Çocukları: Hak Mahrumiyetinden Yoksulluğa. KADEM Kadın Araştırmaları Dergisi, 2(1), 39-58. https://doi.org/10.21798/kadem.20161197960