ICMCEUROPE WelcometoEurope.pdf (5.89 MB)

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Chapter III – Refugee Situations in Focus
is in the process of phasing out resettlement
and no longer lists it as a priority
for 2014.
4. TURKEY AND MIDDLE
EAST
4.1. Iranian and Iraqi refugees in
Turkey
Iraqi and Iranian refugees continue
to form the largest refugee groups in
Turkey. Many originally crossed into
Turkey in the 1980s, fleeing authoritarian
regimes and conflict including
the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the
Iran-Iraq War and the subsequent 1991
Gulf War.
Following the US-led invasion of Iraq
in 2003, the Turkish government
took specific measures to prevent
the movement of Iraqi refugees into
Turkey, and so did not experience the
same increase in Iraqi arrivals as other
countries in the region. However, their
numbers have significantly increased
since 2011 due to the worsening
security situation in Syria. By 2013,
Iraqi and Iranian refugee populations
in Turkey registered with UNHCR
amounted to 9,478 and 3,040 persons,
respectively. 82
For both Iranian and Iraqi refugees,
ongoing civil and political instability
82 Ibid.
both in the region and in their specific
countries of origin means voluntary
repatriation is very rarely a viable
durable solution.
‘I’m originally from Iraq and came to Turkey
after seeking refuge in Syria. In Iraq I was
kidnapped twice by two different militias.
Luckily, the Iraqi army was stationed near
my family’s home and they saved my life by
helping me to escape. After these incidents,
my father decided that I, at the age of 15,
should leave Iraq and go to Syria since the language
and cultural norms in the two countries
are similar. I stayed in Damascus in Syria from
2004 until February 2012. But I left because
the situation had become increasingly worse
for Iraqis. When the crisis started, armed
gangs started asking for money in exchange
for protection. So I left Damascus and came
to Turkey. I want to live here in peace but I
face many difficulties, including the language
barrier and an inability to access the labour
market. Finally, I’m still awaiting news about
the resettlement application I made while
in Syria. I would like to go to the US and join
my sister who has been living there for three
years.’
Almuthana Abdulmajeeed, Iraqi refugee in
Turkey; In Jesuit Refugee Service, Turkey:
Iraqis constantly on the move in search of a
brighter future, February 2013
While Turkey is a signatory to the
1951 Convention and its 1967
Protocol, it maintains the Convention’s