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FORCED MIGRATION FROM THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC: A SNAPSHOT FROM THE COVID-19 PERIOD

Year 2024, , 69 - 79, 29.06.2024
https://doi.org/10.56400/tarsusiibfdergisi.1488568

Abstract

This study revisits the forced displacement from the Syrian Arab Republic, considered one of the biggest mass migration movements that occurred since the beginning of the 'Arab Spring' movements. With the prolongation of the crisis, the involvement of international actors and the COVID-19 pandemic, the plight of asylum seekers worsened, while the infrastructure of the host countries also continued to face challenges. According to the data compiled by the UNHCR from the said countries as of mid-2024, there are currently 3,115,344 Syrians with temporary protection status (SuTPs) in the Republic of Türkiye, followed by 779,645 Syrians in the Lebanese Republic, 631,656 Syrians in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, 282,620 Syrians in the Republic of Iraq, and 156,378 Syrians in the Arab Republic of Egypt. In the literature, there is common consensus that the Republic of Türkiye, especially during the initial years of the protracted Syrian conflict, pursued an 'open door policy' vis-à-vis the Syrian asylum seekers. Despite periodic setbacks and attempts to stem further mass migration movements from Syria since the year 2019, state practice vis-à-vis the displaced Syrians remains inclusive if one is to judge from the overall facilitation of access to healthcare, schooling, and the labor market. Building on these observations and relying on secondary sources and reports, the present article makes a modest attempt to take a snapshot of the SuTPs ' legal status and discusses the extent to which they have accessed healthcare during the COVID-19 period and beyond.

Supporting Institution

Acknowledgements are due to TUBITAK. This study benefited from project number 1059B192000704, funded by the TUBITAK BIDEB 2219 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program.

Project Number

1059B192000704

References

  • Abdulrahim, S. (2024). "Does Education Buy Health for Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon?" The Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University, March 27, 2024, CMES Rm 102.
  • Akram, Susan M., Sarah Bidinger, Aaron Lang, Danielle Hites, Yoana Kuzmova and Elena Noureddine (2014). "Protecting Syrian Refugees: Laws, Policies, and Global Responsibility Sharing." Boston [Online], International Human Rights Clinic.
  • Alawa, J., P. Zarei and K. Khoshnood (2019). "Evaluating the Provision of Health Services and Barriers to Treatment for Chronic Diseases among Syrian Refugees in Turkey: A Review of Literature and Stakeholder Interviews." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16(15): 2660.
  • Bilecen, B. and D. Yurtseven (2018). "Temporarily protected Syrians’ access to the healthcare system in Turkey: Changing policies and remaining challenges." Migration Letters 15(1): 113-124.
  • Blanchet, K., Fouad M. and T. Pherali (2016). "Syrian refugees in Lebanon: the search for universal health coverage." Conflict and Health 10(1): 1-5.
  • Demirtaş, Ü. and A. Özden (2015). "Syrian Refugees: Health Services Support and Hospitality in Turkey." Public Health 129(11): 1549-1550.
  • Doğanay, M. and H. Demiraslan (2016). "Refugees of the Syrian Civil War: Impact on Reemerging Infections, Health Services, and Biosecurity in Turkey." Health Security 14(4): 220-225.
  • ECRE (Asylum Information Database) (2023). Country Report: Türkiye. Brussels, European Council on Refugees and Exiles.
  • Erdoğan, Murat (2019). Syrian Refugees in Turkey. Istanbul, TAGU - Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.
  • European Council (2016). "Press Release on EU-Turkey statement, 18 March 2016." Retrieved from https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/03/18/eu-turkey-statement/.
  • European Commission (2023). Commission Staff Working Document, Türkiye 2023 Report, SWD (2023), 696 Final. Brussels, European Commission.
  • Goodwin-Gill and Guy S. (1996). The Refugee in International Law. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
  • İçduygu, Ahmet (2015). Syrian Refugees in Turkey: The Long Road Ahead. Washington D.C., Migration Policy Institute.
  • IOM (2019). Analysis: Baseline Assessment in Istanbul Province, October-December 2018. Ankara, International Organization for Migration.
  • IOM (2021). Migration Crisis Operational Framework 2020-2023. Ankara, International Organization for Migration.
  • Kirişçi, K. (2001). “UNHCR and Turkey: Nudging Turkey towards a better implementation of the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees.” Paper presented at the 7th IRAP Conference The Refugee Convention at 50, 8-11 January 2001: 1-27.
  • Kirişçi, K. (2014). Syrian Refugees and Turkey's Challenges: Going Beyond Hospitality. Washington D.C., Brookings Institution.
  • Kjaerum, Morten (1994). "Temporary Protection in Europe in the 1990s." International Journal of Refugee Law 6(3): 444-456.
  • Küçük, A. (2020). "Türkiye'de Göç ve Sağlık Politikaları Analizi: 'Sıhhat Projesi' Örneği." Sosyal Politika Çalışmaları Dergisi 20(47).
  • Lavenex, S. (1999). Safe Third Countries. New York, Central European Press.
  • Odman, T. (1995). Mülteci Hukuku. Ankara, Ankara Üniversitesi Siyasal Bilimler Fakültesi İnsan Hakları Merkezi Yayınları.
  • Özdemir, Renk (2024). "The Turkish Healthcare System and Syrians Under Temporary Protection." The Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University, May 16, 2024, CMES Rm 102.
  • Tarhanlı, T. (2000). “Sığınmacı, Mülteci ve Göç Konularına İlişkin Türkiye’deki Yargı Kararları.” T. AKIN (Ed.), Sığınmacı, Mülteci ve Göç Konularına İlişkin Türkiye’deki Yargı Kararları. İstanbul, Birleşmiş Milletler Mülteciler Yüksek Komiserliği (BMMYK) ile Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Vakfı Ortak Yayını: 1-34.
  • T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı Halk Sağlığı Genel Müdürlüğü (2019). Göç ve Sağlık (T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı Yayın No 1147). Ankara, Halk Sağlığı Genel Müdürlüğü.
  • UNHCR (2012). Syria Regional Response Plan. Geneva, United Nations.
  • UNHCR (2020). "UN Refugee Agency steps up COVID-19 preparedness, prevention and response measures." Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/neu/35317-un-refugee-agency-steps-up-covid-19-preparedness-prevention-and-response-measures.html.
  • UNHCR (2022a). Turkey Fact Sheet. Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/tr/en/factsheets-and-dashboards.
  • UNHCR (2022b). COVID-19 in Türkiye and livelihoods of vulnerable people and refugees: a synthesis report. Retrieved from https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/96357.
  • UNHCR (2023b). Global Report 2023 - Executive Summary. Geneva, UN. Available online at https://reporting.unhcr.org.
  • UNHCR (2023c). Emergency Preparedness and Response in 2023. Geneva, UN. Available online at https://reporting.unhcr.org.
  • Şahin-Mencütek, Z., E. Gökalp-Aras, A. Kaya and S. B. Rottmann (2023). Syrian Refugees in Turkey Between Reception and Integration. Online, Springer.
  • Tayfur, I., M. Günaydin and S. Suner (2019). "Healthcare Service Access and Utilization among Syrian Refugees in Turkey." Annals of Global Health 85(1): 1-6.
  • Winter, R. (1982) “Who is a Refugee?.” World Refugee Survey, 1982: 4-5.

Suriye Arap Cumhuriyeti'nden Zorunlu Göç: COVID-19 Döneminden Bir Kesit

Year 2024, , 69 - 79, 29.06.2024
https://doi.org/10.56400/tarsusiibfdergisi.1488568

Abstract

Bu çalışmada 'Arap Baharı' hareketlerinin başından bu yana yaşanan en büyük toplu yer değiştirme olaylarından biri olarak tanımlanan Suriye Arap Cumhuriyeti'nden göç ele alınmaktadır. Krizin uzaması, uluslararası aktörlerin sahaya girmesi ve COVID-19 salgını ile birlikte, sığınmacıların yaşadıkları zorluklara, ev sahibi ülkelerin alt yapısal sorunları da eklenmiştir. BMMYK'nın ilgili ülkelerden derlemiş olduğu veriye göre, 2024 yılı itibarıyla Türkiye Cumhuriyeti'nde kayıtlı 3.115.344 geçici koruma statüsü altında Suriyeli (GKAS) bulunmakta olup, bu sayıyı 779.645 Suriyeli ile Lübnan Cumhuriyeti, 631.656 Suriyeli ile Ürdün Haşimi Krallığı, 282.620 Suriyeli ile Irak Cumhuriyeti ve 156,378 Suriyeli ile Mısır Arap Cumhuriyeti izlemektedir. Türkiye'nin, özellikle de savaşın ilk yıllarında Suriyeli sığınmacılara karşı 'açık kapı politikası' izlemiş olduğu literatürde genel kabul görmektedir. Durum Türkiye'deki Suriyelilere sağlık, eğitim ve iş piyasası alanlarında sunulan erişim fırsatları üzerinden değerlendirilecek olursa, 2019 yılından bu yana Suriye kaynaklı yeni göç dalgalarını önlemeye yönelik girişimlere rağmen, GKAS'a ilişkin kapsayıcı yaklaşımın sürmekte olduğu ifade edilebilir. Elinizdeki çalışma, COVID-19 dönemi ve sonrasında Suriye vatandaşlarının yasal statüsüne ilişkin yapılan düzenlemeleri ve sağlık sistemine ne ölçüde erişebildiklerini kayıt almaya yönelik mütevazı bir çabanın ürünü olup, ikinci el kaynak ve raporlara dayanmaktadır.

Supporting Institution

Acknowledgements are due to TUBITAK. This study benefited from project number 1059B192000704, funded by the TUBITAK BIDEB 2219 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program.

Project Number

1059B192000704

References

  • Abdulrahim, S. (2024). "Does Education Buy Health for Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon?" The Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University, March 27, 2024, CMES Rm 102.
  • Akram, Susan M., Sarah Bidinger, Aaron Lang, Danielle Hites, Yoana Kuzmova and Elena Noureddine (2014). "Protecting Syrian Refugees: Laws, Policies, and Global Responsibility Sharing." Boston [Online], International Human Rights Clinic.
  • Alawa, J., P. Zarei and K. Khoshnood (2019). "Evaluating the Provision of Health Services and Barriers to Treatment for Chronic Diseases among Syrian Refugees in Turkey: A Review of Literature and Stakeholder Interviews." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16(15): 2660.
  • Bilecen, B. and D. Yurtseven (2018). "Temporarily protected Syrians’ access to the healthcare system in Turkey: Changing policies and remaining challenges." Migration Letters 15(1): 113-124.
  • Blanchet, K., Fouad M. and T. Pherali (2016). "Syrian refugees in Lebanon: the search for universal health coverage." Conflict and Health 10(1): 1-5.
  • Demirtaş, Ü. and A. Özden (2015). "Syrian Refugees: Health Services Support and Hospitality in Turkey." Public Health 129(11): 1549-1550.
  • Doğanay, M. and H. Demiraslan (2016). "Refugees of the Syrian Civil War: Impact on Reemerging Infections, Health Services, and Biosecurity in Turkey." Health Security 14(4): 220-225.
  • ECRE (Asylum Information Database) (2023). Country Report: Türkiye. Brussels, European Council on Refugees and Exiles.
  • Erdoğan, Murat (2019). Syrian Refugees in Turkey. Istanbul, TAGU - Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.
  • European Council (2016). "Press Release on EU-Turkey statement, 18 March 2016." Retrieved from https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/03/18/eu-turkey-statement/.
  • European Commission (2023). Commission Staff Working Document, Türkiye 2023 Report, SWD (2023), 696 Final. Brussels, European Commission.
  • Goodwin-Gill and Guy S. (1996). The Refugee in International Law. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
  • İçduygu, Ahmet (2015). Syrian Refugees in Turkey: The Long Road Ahead. Washington D.C., Migration Policy Institute.
  • IOM (2019). Analysis: Baseline Assessment in Istanbul Province, October-December 2018. Ankara, International Organization for Migration.
  • IOM (2021). Migration Crisis Operational Framework 2020-2023. Ankara, International Organization for Migration.
  • Kirişçi, K. (2001). “UNHCR and Turkey: Nudging Turkey towards a better implementation of the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees.” Paper presented at the 7th IRAP Conference The Refugee Convention at 50, 8-11 January 2001: 1-27.
  • Kirişçi, K. (2014). Syrian Refugees and Turkey's Challenges: Going Beyond Hospitality. Washington D.C., Brookings Institution.
  • Kjaerum, Morten (1994). "Temporary Protection in Europe in the 1990s." International Journal of Refugee Law 6(3): 444-456.
  • Küçük, A. (2020). "Türkiye'de Göç ve Sağlık Politikaları Analizi: 'Sıhhat Projesi' Örneği." Sosyal Politika Çalışmaları Dergisi 20(47).
  • Lavenex, S. (1999). Safe Third Countries. New York, Central European Press.
  • Odman, T. (1995). Mülteci Hukuku. Ankara, Ankara Üniversitesi Siyasal Bilimler Fakültesi İnsan Hakları Merkezi Yayınları.
  • Özdemir, Renk (2024). "The Turkish Healthcare System and Syrians Under Temporary Protection." The Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University, May 16, 2024, CMES Rm 102.
  • Tarhanlı, T. (2000). “Sığınmacı, Mülteci ve Göç Konularına İlişkin Türkiye’deki Yargı Kararları.” T. AKIN (Ed.), Sığınmacı, Mülteci ve Göç Konularına İlişkin Türkiye’deki Yargı Kararları. İstanbul, Birleşmiş Milletler Mülteciler Yüksek Komiserliği (BMMYK) ile Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Vakfı Ortak Yayını: 1-34.
  • T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı Halk Sağlığı Genel Müdürlüğü (2019). Göç ve Sağlık (T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı Yayın No 1147). Ankara, Halk Sağlığı Genel Müdürlüğü.
  • UNHCR (2012). Syria Regional Response Plan. Geneva, United Nations.
  • UNHCR (2020). "UN Refugee Agency steps up COVID-19 preparedness, prevention and response measures." Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/neu/35317-un-refugee-agency-steps-up-covid-19-preparedness-prevention-and-response-measures.html.
  • UNHCR (2022a). Turkey Fact Sheet. Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/tr/en/factsheets-and-dashboards.
  • UNHCR (2022b). COVID-19 in Türkiye and livelihoods of vulnerable people and refugees: a synthesis report. Retrieved from https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/96357.
  • UNHCR (2023b). Global Report 2023 - Executive Summary. Geneva, UN. Available online at https://reporting.unhcr.org.
  • UNHCR (2023c). Emergency Preparedness and Response in 2023. Geneva, UN. Available online at https://reporting.unhcr.org.
  • Şahin-Mencütek, Z., E. Gökalp-Aras, A. Kaya and S. B. Rottmann (2023). Syrian Refugees in Turkey Between Reception and Integration. Online, Springer.
  • Tayfur, I., M. Günaydin and S. Suner (2019). "Healthcare Service Access and Utilization among Syrian Refugees in Turkey." Annals of Global Health 85(1): 1-6.
  • Winter, R. (1982) “Who is a Refugee?.” World Refugee Survey, 1982: 4-5.
There are 33 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects International Migration
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

Renk Özdemir 0000-0002-9263-4291

Project Number 1059B192000704
Publication Date June 29, 2024
Submission Date May 23, 2024
Acceptance Date June 25, 2024
Published in Issue Year 2024

Cite

APA Özdemir, R. (2024). FORCED MIGRATION FROM THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC: A SNAPSHOT FROM THE COVID-19 PERIOD. Tarsus Üniversitesi İktisadi Ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 5(1), 69-79. https://doi.org/10.56400/tarsusiibfdergisi.1488568