The  Association for Migration Research (GAR) made a statement regarding the increasing anti-refugee sentiment in the earthquake region and said, "If no action is taken, spatial exclusion and segregation may gradually increase." In the statement, he warned that discriminatory behaviour towards refugees in the earthquake zone and the language used in the media could have dangerous consequences. You can find the full statement below:

 

Due Diligence for Migrants and Refugees in the Earthquake (11 February 2023)

The destruction in the earthquake area is huge, but we are all trying to contribute to overcoming this difficult situation in solidarity. Earthquake provinces are also a region with a large number of refugees. There are Syrian refugees among those who lost their lives, were injured and their homes damaged in the earthquake. As the Association for Migration Research (GAR), we would like to share with you the due diligence, which we prepared based on our interviews with NGOs working in the field of migration, focusing on the situation of refugees dated February 10.

The problems faced by earthquake victims refugees and migrants are as follows:

1. Hate speech and hostility. The hate speech triggered against refugees is provoked by some accounts, especially on social media, but at the same time, there is an increasing reaction against refugees from the local people as the living conditions in the earthquake area are very difficult. We are getting a lot of news about the exclusion of refugees in some places in terms of shelter and assistance.

2. Shelter. In the first days after the earthquake, refugees took shelter in mosques in Gaziantep and Diyarbakır, and in the bus station in Mersin. Later, when the Migration Administration removed the road permit and gave freedom to travel, refugees started to go to other provinces like other earthquake victims. However, they are expected to solve the housing problem in the provinces they go to. Exclusion and segregation are very strong as housing is a big problem for everyone. Refugees are not wanted and are chased in temporary shelters and tent areas. If no action is taken, spatial exclusion and segregation may gradually increase. Migration and resettlement problems from the region to other big cities. As you know, the Immigration Administration has given permission to travel to cities other than Istanbul. This means a new housing problem, especially in Ankara and Izmir. In big cities, where there is already a rent crisis, things will become more difficult with the arrival of the earthquake survivor population. We believe that this requires action now.

3. Access to help. Refugees whose homes were destroyed in the earthquake area continue to have access to shelter and assistance. We learned that first aid was not delivered to the refugees, or that the refugees preferred to stay in the background when asking for help because they were afraid of possible conflicts.

What to do

1. Opposing the news of defamation and discrimination against refugees.

2. Meeting the travel needs of people who want to leave the earthquake area and solving their accommodation problems in their new places

3. Observing the principle of inclusiveness while meeting the needs of everyone staying in the region. Ensuring that the incoming aid is distributed fairly, taking into account the refugees

4. Ensuring a healthy flow of information

5. Establishing a pool of translators for the necessary institutions, especially the hospitals in the earthquake zone.

6. These efforts will of course exceed the capacity of CSOs, in these cases, efforts should be made to communicate with municipalities, political parties and public institutions.