Information Vulnerability Amid The COVID-19 Pandemic: Syrian Refugees In Turkey

Year 2022, Volume: 31 Issue: 2, 369 - 383, 08.11.2022

Burak Ağalday , Mehmet İhsan Özdemir

https://doi.org/10.26650/siyasal.2022.31.1110721

Abstract

States were caught unprepared by the COVID-19 pandemic. This caused a hitch in briefing the public with true and sufficient information. Refugees may be exposed to these drawbacks more due to the language barrier and social isolation. They are an especially vulnerable group in the COVID-19 pandemic due to their adverse life conditions and difficulty in accessing social services and information. In this paper, we study the Syrians who fled to Turkey during the Syrian civil war. We examine the Syrians’ information vulnerability and sources of information using original online survey data and archives of official institutions in charge of the refugee response and the management of the pandemic. It is concluded that Syrians are less knowledgeable than the host community regarding COVID-19 precautions and administrative measures. It is also found that the Syrians’ level of information on administrative measures is likely to increase when institutional announcements are followed. Additionally, naturalized Syrians are more likely to acquire true information on administrative measures than the Syrians under temporary protection. We argue that official institutions play a crucial role in building refugees’ information resilience, yet their briefing is unsystematic and uncomprehensive. 

Keywords

COVID-19, information vulnerability, institutional briefing, Syrian refugees, Turkey, precarity, bilgi kırılganlığı, Suriyeli mülteciler, kurumsal bilgilendirme, Türkiye, güvencesizlik

Thanks

We would like to thank Musallam Abedtalas, Sedef Turper-Alışık, Ayşegül Komsuoğlu-Çıtıpıtıoğlu and Raycene Nevils Karakeçi for their valuable feedback, Dawoud Almohammad for his support in the dissemination of the survey and outreach efforts.

COVID-19 Pandemisinde Bilgi Kırılganlığı: Türkiye’deki Suriyeli Mülteciler

Abstract

Koronavirüs (COVID-19) pandemisine devletlerin hazırlıksız bir şekilde yakalandığını söylemek mümkündür. Bu yüzden pandemi sürecine dair doğru ve gerekli bilgilerin kamuoyuyla paylaşılmasında aksaklıklar yaşanmıştır. Mülteciler, toplumdan tecrit edilmişlik ve dil farklılığı gibi bariyerler nedeniyle bu aksaklıkların yarattığı olumsuzluğa daha fazla maruz kalabilmektedir. Buna istinaden mültecilerin olumsuz yaşam şartları, sosyal hizmetlere ve doğru bilgiye erişimde yaşadığı zorluklar dikkate alındığında onların COVID-19 pandemisinde savunmasız ve kırılgan bir grup olduğunu söylemek yerinde olacaktır. Bu çalışmamızda Suriye iç savaşı sırasında Türkiye’ye sığınan Suriyelilerin bilgiye erişimi ele alınmaktadır. Özgün çevrimiçi anket verisi ve pandemi sürecinde kamuoyunu bilgilendiren ilgili kurumların arşivleri ışığında Suriyelilerin bilgi kırılganlığı ve bilgi kaynakları incelenmiştir. Ev sahibi topluluğun ve Suriyeli mültecilerin bilgiye erişiminin karşılaştırmalı olarak ele alındığı bu çalışmamızda Suriyeli mültecilerin COVID-19 önlemleri ve idari tedbirler konusunda ev sahibi topluma göre daha az bilgili olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Ayrıca idari tedbirler konusunda Suriyelilerin bilgi seviyesinin kurumsal duyuruların takibiyle arttığı gözlemlenmiştir. Son olarak, vatandaşlık statüsündeki Suriyelilerin geçici koruma statüsündeki Suriyelilere kıyasla idari tedbirler konusunda doğru bilgiler edinmesi daha olasıdır. Bundan hareketle resmi kurumların mültecilerin bilgi direncini oluşturmada oldukça önemli bir rol oynadığı ancak bu bilgilendirmelerin sistematik ve kapsamlı olmadığı tartışılmaktadır.

Keywords

bilgi kırılganlığı, Suriyeli mülteciler, kurumsal bilgilendirme, Türkiye, güvencesizlik

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