Page 151 - Syrians in Türkiye - Special Report

GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF TÜRKİYE THE OMBUDSMAN INSTITUTION

VIII. Psychosocial Support Services

In emergency situations, one of the priorities is to protect and improve people’s mental
health and psychosocial situations. Otherwise, untreated situations may threaten
peace, human rights, and development in the long term. It is known that in the case
of war and migration situations, women and children are usually the most affected,
the psychological state of a mother will also affect the child, childhood traumas are
reflected throughout life, and can lead to consequences such as drug abuse, depression
and aggression in the child’s future life, thus negatively affecting the environment of the
societies that they live in. It is clear that Syrians need psychosocial support, considering
that they had to leave their country after experiencing a war environment, and finally
had to take shelter in Türkiye and continue their lives in a different environment which
they had to adapt to having lost some of their family members.

In addition, there is the matter that TACs are not intended or suitable for long-
term housing, the fact that large families have to live in small areas, which can have
developmental and psychological risks, especially for children, and that the lack of
psychosocial support can create long-term problems. According to the circular on
the “Execution of Services in Temporary Protection of Foreigners,” the Ministry of
Family and Social Policy is responsible for psychosocial support services for foreigners
under temporary protection; in addition, it has been observed that psychosocial support
services are provided through activities organized both by municipalities and non-
governmental organizations.

However, there is a need to provide a standard in the services offered by different
institutions or organizations. At this point it is also necessary to be competent to
identify the special needs of the persons who will be able to act in accordance with the
needs and sensitivities of the target group when considering that the primary target to
be supported is vulnerable groups. Qualified professionals are necessary for this.

It is believed that children are more emotionally, physically and psychologically fragile;
in migration, these fragilities have increased significantly. The perception of violence
may differ in children, so it is important to listen to children. The child who is exposed
to violence often cannot express it, migrant children in particular are exposed to very
different types of violence. The interviews we conducted are important at this point,
revealing that children benefit more from peer education, and every age group can
express themselves in different ways, including painting or writing, so it is necessary
to establish standard psychosocial support modules for children considering all these
criteria. In addition, psychosocial support is available not only on demand and in TACs

SYRIANS IN TÜRKİYE SPECIAL REPORT 151