"Migrant Friendly Local and General Policies Needed"

"Local governments should design cities with respect to migrants needs. Authorities should cease seeing migrants as security threats and organize events which promote intercultural dialogue and tolerance."

British Council Turkey releases Migrant Cities Research Report: Istanbul. Prepared by Koc University staff Kristen Sarah Biehl and Ahmet Icduygu, the report accounts in-depth interviews with 10 migrants from different backgrounds living in Istanbul.

Migration to Turkey is categorized in four groups: People coming mainly from Russian states, looking for work; Asians, Middle Easterns and Africans arriving in Turkey as a transit country to Europe; legalized migrants from neighboring countries; asylum seekers and refugees.

An estimated 258 thousand migrants were in Turkey in 2001, while this number decreased to a total of 178 thousand in 2005.

Recommendations of the report are as follows:

• Considering the highly intertwined social, political and economic aspects of international migration issues in Turkey, addressing the issue of migrants’ rights requires the close co-operation of various actors, such as the centralised state, local authorities and national and international NGOs in creating proactive policies.
• Currently, the Foreigners, Borders and Asylum Unit under the General Security Directorate handles all issues related to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Turkey. One may suggest the establishment of a separate Directorate within the Ministry of Interior, which would deal specifically with migration to Turkey. Such a move may allow for a more balanced view to the migration issue, where qualified personnel will tackle both security-related matters and more humanitarian concerns, such as social and economic rights and integration issues.
• In order to combat irregular immigration and employment, Turkey must co-ordinate with origin and transit countries. In particular, all countries involved should co-operate effectively towards controlling human trafficking and smuggling.
• Local municipalities where many migrants tend to reside should conduct information campaigns about the risks involved in irregular migration and irregular employment.
• The Turkish government should consider lifting the geographical limitation to the 1951 Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees and should be prepared to regularise the position of irregular immigrants already living and working in the country.
• Specialised monitoring bodies should be set up to ensure respect for migrant rights. The work of such bodies should be independent but binding on the government in respect of revising practices that adversely affect migrants’ rights, such as foreigners’ detention issues, police treatment towards migrants and labour exploitation of migrants.(BÇ/AGÜ)