Turkey is home to 4 million refugees including 3,6 million from Syria. Yet over 10 years after the Syrian conflict started, refugees still have temporary protection status, with limited opportunities to either return or gain Turkish nationality. What does ‘temporary protection’ mean for refugees in Turkey?
In this podcast Dr. Meltem Ineli-Ciger explains the background to the current refugee law, the different kinds of protection status in Turkey, and what rights are granted to temporary status holders. Despite the precarity of temporary status in Turkey, many Syrians have made a life there, starting families, learning the language and finding jobs mainly outside of the formal economy.
References mentioned in this podcast:
Fitzpatrick, J. (2000). Temporary Protection of Refugees: Elements of a Formalized Regime. American Journal of International Law, 94(2), 279-306.
Hathaway, James C. "Making International Refugee Law Relevant Again: A Proposal for Collectivized and Solution-Oriented Protection." R.A.Neve, co-author. Harv. Hum. Rts. J. 10 (1997): 115-211.
Further reading:
Meltem Ineli-Ciger & Ozgenur Yigit, Country Fiche Turkey (2020) ASILE Project https:/www.asileproject.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Country-Fiche_Turkey_Final_Pub.pdf
Meltem Ineli-Ciger, Protecting Syrians in Turkey: A Legal Analysis https://doi.org/10.1093/ijrl/eex042
view more