Page 132 - Syrians in Türkiye - Special Report

GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF TÜRKİYE THE OMBUDSMAN INSTITUTION

7. For a substantial number of the Syrians living in Türkiye, the political and legal
environment is more attractive than the economic conditions.

8. 45% of Syrians in Türkiye, which translates to more than 1.4 million people, are
children and young people under 18 years of age. It is not possible that they will
return to their country alone. Besides that, families will not consider returning to
their homes unless peace and security are established in Syria, as they prioritize
staying in a secure environment for their children.

9. There is no alternative for Syrians living in urban areas but to work. According to
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the Monitor of Syrian Refugee Lives research report, the average household size
of Syrians in Türkiye was determined to be 6.2. Based on this research, it can be
estimated that there are approximately 470,000 Syrian families/households living
outside of temporary accommodation centers. Besides the partial support from
some NGOs and municipalities, more than 470,000 Syrian families without
regular income are struggling to survive by working. Therefore, it is estimated
that at least one person works in every household living outside of the camps. For
those who live in a society and now find themselves in every part of the society,
it is difficult to return.

In the light of the explanations above that some have been living in Türkiye for more
than 6 years and 92% of them are living in urban areas, mostly independent from the
political developments in Syria, we anticipate that a substantial portion of Syrians will
not or cannot return that the likelihood of them staying in Türkiye permanently is high.
Additionally, Türkiye needs to be prepared for an increased number of Syrians, which
was over 3.4 million as of December 2017. Possible border crossings and new births
might cause a population increase. Another issue that will cause the increase of the
number is that family re-unification might be experienced in the future. Therefore, it
seems that the Syrian population in Türkiye might exceed 4-5 million in ten years.

Türkiye’s policies regarding Syrians have naturally been built on the concept of
impermanence since the beginning. Terms such as temporary protection status,
temporary accommodation centers, temporary identity cards, and temporary training
centers are the products of this approach. However, the crisis did not end quickly,
Syrians did not stay in Türkiye for a short time, and the number of refugees was not
low. In this context, it is necessary to confront the facts and to producepolicies for
permanence since the possibility of them being permanent has become even stronger
than the possibility of them being temporary. This is called integration policy. Feelings
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Human Development Foundation. Monitor of Syrian Refugee Lives (accessed August 23, 2017); available
from http://ingev.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Multeci-Hayatlar-Monitoru.pdf

132 SYRIANS IN TÜRKİYE SPECIAL REPORT