At Least 108 Migrant-Refugee Workers Lose Their Lives in 2018

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The Laborers' Health and Occupational Safety (İSİG) Assembly has released a report on the occasion of December 18 International Migrants Day. According to the report, at least 108 migrant-refugee workers have died in occupational homicides in Turkey in 2018.

It has been indicated that 14 percent of these deaths were reported by the physicians working in İstanbul and none of the deaths has been covered by the printed, visual or visual press or on the social media. Thus, it has been further emphasized that the actual number of migrant-refugee workers who died in occupational homicides is far above the stated figure.

More migrant-refugee workers die every year

According to the data shared by the İSİG Assembly, the number of migrant-refugee worker deaths has been gradually increasing over the years:

* In 2013, 22 migrant-refugee workers,

* In 2014, 53 migrant-refugee workers,

* In 2015, 67 migrant-refugee workers,

* In 2016, 96 migrant-refugee workers,

* In 2017, 88 migrant-refugee workers,

* In 2018, 108 migrant-refugee workers lost their lives.

44 percent of deceased workers from Syria

When workers from Iraq are included in the count, it can be seen that three quarters of the deceased workers were from war-ridden countries.

Accordingly, in 2018, 48 workers from Syria, 28 from Afghanistan, 5 from Azerbaijan, 4 from Iraq, Pakistan and Turkmenistan each, 2 from Georgia, Iran, Russia and Ukraine each, and 1 worker from India, Kyrgyzstan, Hungary, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Zimbabwe each have lost their lives in occupational homicides across Turkey.

These figures indicate that 44 percent of the deceased migrant-refugee workers were from Syria.

Children as young as 6 years old employed in Turkey

According to the official numbers, as of December 2018, 3 million 611 thousand 836 migrants-refugees from Syria have been living in Turkey. However, the actual figure has been estimated to be above 4 million people, almost 2 million of whom are in working age.

The data shared by the İSİG Assembly have shown that 99 percent of the workers from Syria are informally employed. As of 2016, only 14 thousand 745 people from Syria have been granted a working permit in Turkey.

The report has also pointed out that children from Syria as young as 6 years old are being employed in the country and "turned into an important part of the precarious labor force." (OI/TP/SD)