Page 172 - Syrians in Türkiye - Special Report

GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF TÜRKİYE THE OMBUDSMAN INSTITUTION

XVI. THE COMMUNICATION STRATEGY FOR TURKISH AND INTERNATIONAL
SOCIETY

A comprehensive communication strategy related to Syrians in Türkiye should be
developed both for the outside world and the Turkish society. The issue of Syrians
in Türkiye is the most serious humanitarian crisis experienced in the history of the
Republic. This large of an influx of refugees or migration over this long a period of time
has not been addressed in Türkiye before. Even if a significant portion of the Syrians
return to their country, it can be observed that the likelihood of hundreds of thousands
or millions of Syrians staying in Türkiye is increasing. Considering this situation, in
order to ensure that the process is carried out more effectively, it is important to gain
the support of the Turkish society not only in the short term but also in the long term;
for this reason, it is necessary both to prevent negative judgments about Syrians and
to value the feelings, thoughts, and opinions of the Turkish society. Although being
members of the same religion and neighbors with Syrians is an important value that
eases the process, this common ground cannot be sufficient and sustainable on its
own merit. It should be taken under consideration that, although the brotherhood of
religion, the traditional value of the “ensar (hosts) and muhacir (refugees)” philosophy,
and neighborliness play important roles in this context, these emotional factors are
under risk of rapid depletion because of some problems that could be experienced,
so it is necessary to develop some policies that will engage the continuous support of
the Turkish society for coexistence. In this respect, a reliable, accurate communication
strategy will play a very important role. It is necessary to be sensitive about is and to
avoid “labeling,” which will characterize Syrians in a negative light, like the perception
of Syrians as beggars, which was a serious complaint especially between the years 2014
and 2015. It is clear that the most important element of coexistence is the adoption of
a society based on mutual respect and rights.

The Turkish society and the state show an extraordinary solidarity and effort toward
Syrian refugees that will go down in world history. The world needs to know about this
sacrifice and effort. Many institutions and organizations such as AFAD, DGMM, and
the Turkish Red Crescent are working together day and night. The contribution of civil
society, media, and academics needs to be increased in order to relay these efforts to
the international community. More voices need to amplify the incredible sacrifices that
the Turkish society and state have made and the risks that they have taken. This kind
of strategy is extremely important in terms of both explanation of the structures and
sharing of the burdens.

The fact that there is not even a single European country among the first 6 countries
hosting the largest portion of the 22.5 million registered refugees in the world and the

172 SYRIANS IN TÜRKİYE SPECIAL REPORT