Chapter 22: A human-security approach to the Syrian “refugee crisis” in Turkey: assessing third-party efforts

Abstract

UNHCR statistics indicate that 3.6 million Syrian refugees have been registered in Turkey. This chapter adopts a human-security approach to examine the problems the refugees face in terms of rights, security, intergroup relations, and access to basic services. In doing so, it also discusses the various roles governmental and non-governmental organizations have played as third parties. This study adopts Ager and Strang’s integration framework, which focuses on the foundation of rights and citizenship, requiring attitudinal changes of both the refugees and locals. The data is drawn from interviews with Syrian refugees and leaders or employees of the I/NGOs working with the refugee community in Gaziantep, _zmir, Hatay, _stanbul, and _anlıurfa. Evidence from the field research shows the “refugee crisis” is complex and multi-faceted. Both the Turkish government agencies and I/NGOs provide social, financial, and legal support to the refugees, yet these efforts are not found to be sufficiently responsive.