Rights group demands 'urgent measures against deep poverty burning refugee children’

* At the night of December 13, four children lost their lives in a fire that broke out is a basement floor in İstanbul (Photo: Anadolu Agency)

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The Human Rights Association (İHD) İstanbul Branch has released a statement after four refugee children lost their lives in a fire that broke out in a basement floor due to a heating stove in İstanbul.

The Association has demanded "urgent measures against the deep poverty that burns refugee children" in Turkey.

Drawing attention to refugee and children's rights and raising concerns about deep poverty, the İHD has recalled that "as it is the case every year, the ones, especially refugees, who have to stay in the illegally built basement floors because of the deep poverty they have found themselves in lose their lives due to natural gas leaks, coal smoke poisoning or fires."

Noting that it is the Human Rights Week (December 10-17), which marks the 73rd anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Association has expressed its sadness over the incident in Esenyurt, which claimed the lives of four children.

On this occasion, the İHD has "reminded the state of its responsibilities and demanded that urgent measures be taken to prevent deep poverty, to ensure a life in line with human dignity for everyone, to make sure that refugees, especially women and children, have access to basic needs, including their housing rights, and to protect their right to health."

Referring to a fire that claimed the lives of two Syrian children in İstanbul's Esenler on January 12, 2021 and to the recent fire that caused the death of four Syrian children in İstanbul's Esenyurt, Besme (5), Şahin (9), Ahmet (9) and Selva (1), the İHD has said that these incidents "have one again manifested the deep poverty as well as the severe conditions that the ones who cannot benefit from state protection and social solidarity such as refugee women and children are forced to live."

Accordingly, the İHD has underlined: "Everyone and the ones living in deep poverty, refugee women and children in this specific case must be prevented from being forced to live in conditions where they do not even have safety of life and their right to life is under threat. The state and local administrations must urgently take measures to provide everyone with an opportunity to lead a humane life and to protect their right to life."

What happened?

A fire that broke out in the basement floor of a three-storey building claimed the lives of four children in İstanbul's Esenyurt district. The mother and her one child, who were rescued from the flames at the last minute, were hospitalized. The fire broke out at around 2 am. Seeing the flames, the ones in the neighborhood called the fire brigade teams.

Arriving at the scene of the incident, firefighters put out the fire and found the deceased bodies of four children. 

As reported by NTV news channel, Fatma Hammud from Syria, who has been rescued from the fire, is the mother of the four deceased children aged 1, 3, 7 and 9. The children's father is reportedly in prison.

According to this news report, the fire broke out due to the electric heater. The channel has reported that the family was using the electric heater because they were unable to pay the natural gas bill.

The Governor's Office of İstanbul has announced that an administrative and legal investigation has been launched into the incident. (AÖ/SD)