Page 26 - Syrians in Türkiye - Special Report

GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF TÜRKİYE THE OMBUDSMAN INSTITUTION

it has also become a clear sociological reality that the likelihood of permanence has
increased with each passing day.

In this context, it is indispensable for the Ombudsman Institution to take into
consideration the management activities related to Syrians under temporary protection
status.

This humanitarian crisis, the largest in the world after World War II and the largest
in the history of Türkiye, is unfortunately entering its 7th year. Due to this crisis,
3
Türkiye has become the country with the largest number of “refugees” in the world
4
since 2015, and it presently hosts almost two-thirds of the 5,523,317 people who were
forced to flee Syria. According to data shared by the Directorate General of Migration
5
Management, the number of Syrians under temporary protection as of December 14,
2017 is 3,412,368. In addition to this number, there are also Syrians who have been
pre-registered in Türkiye but are not yet under temporary protection. 6
The number of Syrians who are covered by temporary protection alone corresponds to
8
7
4.22 % of the population of Türkiye, which is 80,810,525 . In other words, the number
of Syrian refugees under temporary protection in Türkiye exceeds the population of
many countries, including Armenia, Qatar, Bahrain, Mongolia, Djibouti, Slovenia,
Macedonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Luxembourg, Malta, and Iceland.

3
Türkiye, despite being a party to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, only grants the right
to “refugee” status to persons from member states of the Council of Europe, stemming from the Convention’s
geographical limitation clause. On the other hand, non-refoulment principle is applied to non-European people
coming to our country; these foreigners are referred to as “international protection applicants.” According to the
Law on Foreigners and International Protection, if their applications are approved, they are given “conditional
refugee” status. As of 28/04/2011, due to the events occurring in the Syrian Arab Republic, Syrian citizens,
stateless people, and refugees who come to our country from Syria for the purpose of protection are placed
under “temporary protection.” However, in this study, the term “refugee” will be used for the Syrians in Türkiye,
independently of the legal-administrative context, in its sociological context in terms of widespread daily use
and practicality.
4
UNHCR. Syria Regional Refugee Response (accessed February 2, 2018); available from http://data.unhcr.
org/syrianrefugees/regional.php.
5
DGMM. “Syrians under Temporary Protection by Year.” (accessed December 26, 2017); available from http://
www.goc.gov.tr/icerik3/gecici-koruma_363_378_4713.
6
DGMM. “Syrians under Temporary Protection by Year.”.
7
Türkiye Statistical Institute (accessed February 2, 2018); available from http://www.tuik.gov.tr/HbGetirHTML.
do?id=27587
8
DGMM. “Distribution of Syrians in Temporary Protection by Province.” (accessed December 26, 2017);
available from http://www.goc.gov.tr/icerik3/gecici- koruma_363_378_4713.

26 SYRIANS IN TÜRKİYE SPECIAL REPORT