‘Young refugees identify Turkey as their home country’

* Photo: Hikmet Adal - bianet (Refugees who went Edirne on Turkey-Greece border after Turkey announced in March 2020 that it would open the borders)

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There are about 15 million young people who live in Turkey, including 1.7 million young refugees. Studies show that more than 55 percent of young refugees do not want to return to their home country as they would like to have their education and jobs in Turkey.

On the other hand, young refugees are among the most vulnerable groups in Turkey as they have been facing various challenges in areas of protection, health, education, employment and social life.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in the needs and concerns of refugees, which also deepened the vulnerabilities of young refugees.

On the occasion of August 12 International Youth Day, which will be marked tomorrow, the United Nations (UN) has stressed that young people are on the frontlines of the struggle to build a better future for all.

Four Youth Centers

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Turkey supports young refugees with four Youth Centers in Ankara, Diyarbakır, Hatay and İzmir within scope of the "Supporting Young Refugees' Well-being and Social Cohesion Project" implemented in collaboration with Youth Approaches in Health Association with the financial support of the Government of Japan.

Youth Centers provide not only sexual and reproductive health (SRH), gender-based violence (GBV) and psychosocial support (PSS) services to young refugees but also contribute to their self-development and empowerment through various workshops, awareness raising and social cohesion activities such as language courses, vocational, cultural, artistic and physical trainings, which are vital for young refugees to live healthy, safe and better lives, empower themselves and integrate into the host community.

As a response to the hardships brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, remote and face-to-face support services and response mechanisms are also provided within scope of this project.

'1.7 million young refugees in Turkey'

The UNFPA has shared the following information on the occasion of the August 12 International Youth Day:

"Hosting the largest refugee population in the world (approx. 4 million people), today, there are 1.7 million young refugees in Turkey aged between 15 and 30.

"According to Syrians Barometer, more than 55 percent of young refugees do not want to return to their home country as they would like to have their education and jobs in Turkey. The study shows that one of the main reasons for this is that they identify Turkey as their home country instead of Syria. These show how vital it is to ensure young refugees' integration, social cohesion and access to services in Turkey.

"Despite 10 years of national and international efforts, young refugees still face several obstacles which adversely impact their daily lives and future life prospects including barriers to rights and services.

"According to research, especially women and girls are adversely affected by high risks of unmet need for family planning, gender-based violence (GBV) and child, early and forced marriage (CEFM).

"On the other hand, UNFPA's research highlights that GBV, including domestic violence, sexual violence and harassment, and child marriages, continues to pervade the lives of women, particularly adolescent girls.

"Another UNFPA publication on Syrian adolescent girls also states that health complications of GBV and CEFM such as depression and early pregnancy cause lost opportunities in education and personal development." (AÖ/SD)