How Do the Ones Displaced From Suriçi, Diyarbakır Live Today?

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Curfew was declared in Sur in Turkey's southeastern province of Diyarbakır on September 6, 2015 and has been extended for six times.

During the period of curfews, conflicts erupted in Suriçi and the residents of the neighborhood have been displaced.

The Diyarbakır-based Socio-Political Field Research Center conducted face-to-face interviews with members of 120 households who had to leave Suriçi. While the people were interviewed from April 8 to 16, 62 percent of the participants were women and 38 percent were men.

The aim of the research was to identify who the displaced people were and how being displaced has affected the lives of these people.

Some findings from the research are as follows:

Unemployment

The findings of the research have shown that 78 percent of the participant do not have any paid employment. While they used to live in Sur, 74 percent of them did not have any paid employment, either.

What do you do for a living now?

Accordingly, while 50 percent of the participants state that they are "unpaid domestic workers", 16 percent say that they are "unemployed." The same figures have shown that 11 percent of the participants are "students", 9 percent "shop owners", 4 percent "workers" and 3 percent "retired."

Impoverishment

The monthly household income of the participants has also decreased. Before the curfew was declared and people were displaced, almost 90 percent of the participant used to have a monthly household income at or above the level of minimum wage. However, this research shows that this rate has fallen to 48 percent.

Dispossession

36 percent of the participants did not possess any property while they were in Sur. The properties of 52 percent got destroyed and those of 7 percent were expropriated. 5 percent state that they sold their properties.

Moreover, while 40 percent say that they were tenants while they were still living in Sur, this rate has increased to 90 percent after the displacement.

Reasons of migration and its effects

What were your reasons for migration from Sur?

When asked about their reasons of emigration from Sur, 93 percent of the participant refer to conflicts and the demolishment of their houses. 7 percent of them state that they left the district due to economic hardships and 1 percent after the expropriation of their houses.

To the question, "Would you like to return to Sur again?", 82 percent say "Yes" while the remaining 18 percent say "No." (HK/SD)

* Photograph: Ömer Yasin Ergin - Diyarbakır/AA (March 2016)