ASYLUM SEEKERS and REFUGEES in BULGARIA: BETWEEN OPENED and CLOSED DOORS

Abstract

Since 2011, the increasing immigrant inflow from the Middle East to the European Union has led to the implementation of the Bulgarian policy towards asylum and refugees in a specific way. Bulgaria is a border state of the European Union where the people from the conflict regions can find security and their rights to be protected. The article draws attention to the capacity of the state institutions and readiness of society to host asylum seekers/refugees and develops questions on possibilities of their reception and integration examined by different interdisciplinary techniques of ethnographic research. The results of the survey show that asylum seekers/refugees find themselves in a contradictory situation between the Bulgaria’s asylum policy under a number of international instruments and national legislation, and the government decisions, the anti-refugee propaganda and the negative public attitudes. This controversial situation strengthens the country’s transit position in the migration corridor to other European countries.

Keywords

• refugees,migrants,asylum,stereotypes

Bulgaristan’da Sığınmacılar ve Mülteciler: Açılıp Kapanan Kapılar Arasında

Abstract

2011 yılından itibaren Ortadoğu’dan Avrupa Birliği ülkelerine doğru artmakta olan göçmen akışı, sığınma arayanlara ve mültecilere yönelik Bulgar politikasında spesifik bir uygulama biçimine yol açtı. Bulgaristan, sorunlu bölgelerden gelen insanların güvenlik ve haklarını koruma imkânı bulabileceği, Avrupa Birliği’nin sınır ülkesidir. Makale, etnografik araştırmanın çeşitli disiplinlerarası yöntemlerini kullanarak, devlet kuruluşlarının sığınmacıları/mültecileri barındırma konusundaki yeterliliği ve toplumun bu kişileri kabul etmedeki hazırlık düzeyi üzerinde durmakta, mültecilerin kabulü ve entegrasyonuna dair mevcut olanakları sorgulamaktadır. Yapılan araştırmada ortaya çıkan sonuçlara göre, sığınmacı/mülteci grupları, Bulgaristan'ın bir dizi uluslararası sözleşme uyarınca yürüttüğü barındırma politikalarıyla bu konudaki kendi ulusal yasaları arasında meydana gelen çelişkiler, hükümet kararları, kamuoyundaki mülteci karşıtı propaganda ile toplum içindeki negatif tepkiler gibi pek çok olumsuz etkenle karşı karşıya kalmaktadırlar. Bu çelişkili durum, Bulgaristan'ın diğer Avrupa ülkelerine uzanan göç koridorundaki transit konumunu sağlamlaştırmaktadır.

Keywords

• mülteciler,göç,sığınma,stereotipler (kalıp yargılar)

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