2014 Report On the Condition

of Afghan Refugees in Turkey

Executive Summary

Over 20,000 Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers currently reside in Turkey without the right
to work, access to education, access to healthcare, freedom of movement, or permanent legal status.
Afghans face indefinite resettlement wait times and many refugees have already spent over seven years
in Turkey. Currently, third country resettlement is the only durable solution to end the human rights
crisis facing Afghan refugees in Turkey. To that end, this report argues for increased resettlement quotas
for Afghans in third countries, alongside measures to increase direct support to Afghans in Turkey. This
report also includes recommendations for global states in tandem with Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan to
support integration of existing Afghan populations to reduce relevant push factors of forced migration
to Turkey. The recommendations offered herein will help end the suffering of Afghan refugees in
Turkey, and help create a more stable Afghan diaspora that will be an asset to Afghanistans future.

Authored By:
The Coordination Group of Afghan Refugees in Turkey

Afghan Refugees Situations in Context

By the summer of 2013, the atmosphere had grown dark in the community of Afghan
refugees in Turkey. Many refugees found themselves passing their sixth or seventh years
awaiting resettlement outside of Turkey, and an ongoing trend of suicides had left the community shaken.1
Whether they fled ethnic violence in Pakistan, the violent instability of Afghanistan, or the growing Afghan
persecution in Iran, Afghan refugees in Turkey find themselves in an ongoing struggle for human rights
with no end in sight. Afghans face a variety of human rights abuses in different countries; yet this report
focuses on the issues of Afghan refugees living in Turkey as they struggle to provide for themselves and
maintain the hope necessary to continue living.2

Turkey has a policy against granting non-European refugees permanent status, in spite of the fact
that Afghans living in the country have managed to integrate into their local communities, learn Turkish,
and build dignified lives. Unfortunately, Afghans who have fled their homes Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan
come to Turkey only to again find an environment where their existence is not permanent or sustainable. In
Turkey, Afghan refugees face human rights violations, exacerbated by the fact that their supposed temporary
stay in Turkey seems to have no end in sight. Ahmad, an Afghan refugee living in Kayseri, Turkey poses
one question that reflects the frustrations of the entire community: We have nowhere to go back, no way
forward, and we cant stay here. What are we supposed to do?

Current Situation of Afghan Refugees in Turkey

When Afghan refugees enter Turkey and begin to apply for and then await resettlement, they receive
pamphlets from UNHCR detailing the conditions they are to expect in the country. These pamphlets
claim asylum seekers have the right to humanitarian assistance, work permits, government healthcare, and
education for youth. However, the Coordination Group of Afghan Refugees maintains that none of these
promises have been fulfilled to an adequate level and that Afghan refugees in Turkey are experiencing
serious deprivations of their human rights. Examples of rights issues are listed below.
Health and Humanitarian Assistance

Financial and food aid for Afghan refugees is sparse, and available only through the United Nations
and a decentralized system of local charities.
The food aid from local charities typically totals no more than one warm meal a day and a weekly
box of dried pasta. Food distribution locations often require some refugees to walk 1-2 hours to pick
up the food available.
Eligibility for substantial monetary aid from UNHCR or local charities is difficult to acquire, and
relies on a problematic procedure that includes home observations: refugees homes are observed,
and based on the value of their amenities can be denied aid. Furnishing an apartment with discarded
items from the street, such as a television or a rug, can be considered grounds for denial.
The number of refugees receiving formal assistance is insignificant relative to the total population.
No aid program was observed that provided enough economic aid for a refugee to not have to work
to meet their healthcare, housing, and food needs.
1 Information on refugee suicides in the Afghan community in Turkey can be be found at http://afgrefugees.com/6199.
2 Danish Refugee Council Living conditions for Afghan refugees in Iran are decreasing. Relief Web. 21 \

March 2013. Accessed 14 November 2013. http://reliefweb.int/report/iran-islamic-republic/living conditions-afghan-refugees-iran-are-decreasing#sthash.uqeByGn9.dpuf.
Mobeen Azhar Hell on Earth: Inside Quettas Hazara Community. BBC World Service. 30 April 2013.

Accessed 14 November 2013. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22248500
Usman Sharifi Chance of a new life trumps risks for Afghan refugees. Agence France-Presse. 25 Oct

2913. http://tribune.com.pk/story/621305/chance-of-a-new-life-trumps-risks-for-afghan-refugees/.

Work and Employment

Afghan refugees cannot attain work work permits and are thereby are forced to labor in
unregulated work environments to generate enough income to survive.
The Turkish work permit available to foreignersthe permit the UNHCR recommends Afghans
obtainis essentially unattainable for Afghan refugees due to obstacles in the permit issuing process
and the lack of incentive for business owners to participate in a refugees permit application. A
handful of refugees may have acquired this permit for some high skilled positions, but this claim was
not verified by our organization. No middle or low-skill refugee workers were found who were able
to attain this permit.
Workplace conditions are unregulated and refugees are forced to work overtime to keep their
jobs. Refugee wages are typically underneath Turkeys minimum wage, and often less than their
Turkish counterparts for equivalent labor.
Previously, Turkish police commendably avoided active targeting of refugee workers and their
employers for undocumented work; however, as of 2012 police have increased their efforts to fine
employers and refugees amounts over 1000 TLan equivalent to two months wagesafter
conducting workplace raids. These raids lead to high job insecurity and poor labor conditions for
Afghan refugees. Refugees claim the raids have made employers more reticent to hire refugees.
Education

In each Turkish city with an Afghan refugee population, the policy towards schooling refugee
children is uneven and unpredictable. In the city of Kayseri, for example, some schools administer yearend examinations to students, and some do not.
Some families report their children are often told by teachers not to come to school or to simply
leave class and play outside during the school day.
Children report harassment by teachers and students on account of their refugee status.
Most students are forced to drop out of school to work and support their faimilies. Few complete
secondary school, and most lack the legal or financial means to continue onto higher education.
Asylum and Resettlement from Turkey

Despite the large number of Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers in Turkey, Turkey does not actually
grant asylum to these individuals. Turkey is signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention with a reservation
stating that they will only accept refugees from Europea geographic limitation.
Turkey is still a major international hub for refugees, asylum seekers, and other migrants. The Turkish
government has developed an agreement with UNHCR for non-European refugees. In this process, the
UNHCR processes asylum cases while the Turkish government grants temporary asylum assuming that
the UNHCR will facilitate third-country resettlement. Upon entering the country asylum-seekers are
required to register with both the UNHCR and the Turkish Ministry of the Interior.
As of January 2013, there are 334,590 refugees and asylum-seekers in Turkey, with 98% of the
populations made up of people from the Middle East and Central Asia. 1
Turkey is currently implementing the new comprehensive refugee law that localizes more of the refugee
process; however, the issue of Afghan resettlement will not be ameliorated by this new law.
Resettlement countries like the United States and Canada are taking such low numbers of Afghan
refugees that the UNHCR has suspended all Afghan applications. 2

1 UNHCR. Turkey. UNHCR Welcome. http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e48e0fa7f.html (accessed May 9, 2013).

2 Hydari, Zaid. Afghanistans Forgotten Refugees. Foreign Policy in Focus , January 14, 2013. http://fpif.org/afghanistans_forgotten_

refugees/ (accessed February 1, 2014).

 While the Lautenberg Amendment in the United States allows for certain Iranian and Iraqi
refugees to receive a higher rate of resettlement and an expedited application process, Afghan
refugees have been neglected, leaving them with an uncertain future and little chance of
resettlement.
Many Afghans are disheartened and face issues such as depression and anxiety due to the fact that they
have little to no information regarding their future. Misinformation regarding the refugee process is
rampant.
Afghan Refugees and Afghanistans Future

Hamid, a young Afghan man in his mid 20s, arrived to the city of Kayseri in central Turkey in
the summer of 2013. He proceeded to integrate himself into the community of Afghan refugees awaiting
resettlement; however, Hamid himself was not a refugee formally awaiting resettlement. Instead, Hamid was
an asylum-seeker who had planned to be smuggled to Germany. Hamid had made various attempts with
smugglers to take a boat to Greece, but was forced to turn back every time. Finally, on his last trip, the boat
sprang a leak and his fellow passengers drowned. Hamid was the only survivor, he said, because he was a
strong swimmer and was able to reach the shore. Temporarily, he had come to live with some acquaintances
these acquaintances were Afghans awaiting formal resettlement from the UNHCR. When asked what
his plans were for the future, and whether he might try to register as a refugee and seek resettlement, he
responded: For now, I dont know [what I will do]. I just know one thing: there is no point in spending any
time in Turkey. His message was clear Hamid was going to attempt the journey again.

Hamids story should not be surprising. Like many other Afghans, he had heard about the
indefinitely long wait times for Afghan refugees in Turkey. Understanding the severity of human rights
issues affecting Afghan refugees in Turkey is crucial to understanding why thousands like Hamid not only
forgo a supposed path to third-country resettlement, or at least official recognition in a safe country, and
choose to travel across borders and seas at almost any cost.

As situations deteriorate for Afghan refugees in Turkey and the only truly durable solution at this
timeresettlementremains elusive, it is likely that many will continue to follow in Hamids footsteps. The
refugees should not be seen as a burden to the global community, but instead as a potential asset to the
future of Afghanistan. Many Afghans living abroad and in Afghanistan owe much of their ability to thrive
despite Afghanistans turbulent history to remittances from relatives who have gone abroad. Remittances
from refugees have directly led to the education and sustenance of generations of Afghans, and can continue
to do so in the future if those who flee Afghanistan are given a chance at a stable life.

Recommendations

The Coordination Group of Afghan Refugees suggests the following recommendations to
ameliorate the issues Afghan asylum-seekers and refugees face in Turkey:
Call upon resettlement states to make a cooperative effort to resettle accepted Afghan refugee
cases by increasing current quotas for Afghan refugee resettlement.
If current major resettlement destinations are unable to meet the needs of Afghans, explore the
performance of newer refugee resettlement programs in regions that have not historically been
destinations for Afghan refugees.
Create resources for Afghan refugees to obtain work permits while living in Turkey, or at least end
enforcement of policies against refugee employment. Respect the concerns of Afghans who do not wish
to repatriate to Afghanistan, and avoid premature and involuntary repatriation policies.
Work with regional governments that are home to Afghan refugee populations (such as Iran, Pakistan,
India, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) to curb state and non-state trends of xenophobia that encourages
Afghan displacement.
Expand funding for existing refugee aid programs to begin to offer services for Afghan refugees, and
ensure that members of the Afghan community are staff members of said organizations.
Allow Afghans more access to legal aid from non-United Nations affiliated professionals in pursuing
their asylum claims. One such method would be to borrow from advocacy models such as the OMID
Advocates for Human Rights, an organization that pair refugees with international migration lawyers
abroad to remotely obtain free legal counsel and aid. Similarly, local community lawyers could fulfill
this function and help perform advocacy work between Afghan refugees and international actors.1
Update state and city level Turkish healthcare, education, and work permit policies to match the United
Nations literature distributed to refugees.
Increase funding to Turkey-based United Nations High Commissioner of Refugee offices and their
partners to process recent case backlogs.
Encourage greater links between the United Nations offices in Turkey and the local Afghan population.
Similarly, encourage further cooperation between city-level civil society groups and Afghans to
encourage dialogue between refugees and citizens.

1 More information on OMID can be found at http://www.omidadvocates.org.

About Us

The Coordination Group of Afghan Refugees formed in 2011 as a response to resettlement
delays and the deteriorating situation of Afghan refugees in Turkey. The organization is made up
of Afghan refugees, asylum-seekers, and students in Turkey who seek to uplift their community through
organizing local programs and cultural events, alongside efforts to bring attention to the issues refugees in
Turkey face. These members also enlist the help of volunteers abroad.
Methodology and Acknowledgments

This report was compiled through the work of the Coordination Group of Afghan Refugees and
was based largely on research conducted by Kamyar Jarahzadeh, a student at the University of California
Berkeley. A multitude of volunteers also contributed to this report. This research was based off of interviews
and observations made at various periods between 2012 and 2013, in tandem with the organizations own
claims. Shafiqul Islam aided in editing the report, and this research was funded in part by the University of
California Berkeley SURF program.

Participants gave verbal consent before providing information for this report. All names have been
changed in this document. It was made clear to all refugees who participated that this information would
not be used in the context of their specific cases, but simply to educate outsiders about the situation of
Afghan refugees as a whole.

The term refugee has been used throughout this report to refer to Afghans who identify as forced
migrants. It should be noted, however, that Turkey does not legally accept forced migrants from nonEuropean countries as refugees. Unless specifically noted, the term Afghan refugee in this report includes
both asylum-seekers, and those with and without United Nations refugee status. Inquiries were not made
into refugees status unless it was deemed relevant.
More Information

www.AfghanRefugeeSolidarity.com
www.AfgRefugees.com
Inquiries may be addressed to Ali Hekmat (Turkey Coordinator) or Kamyar Jarahzadeh (American
Representative) via AfgRefugees@gmail.com