Syrian Refugees in Turkey

Over 1 million people have flooded into Turkey in order to escape violence in Syria. While Turkey has been applauded for its quick response to such a large and rapid influx of refugees, it hasn't been able to establish sustainable assistance programs. 

 (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/world/middleeast/syria-war-developments.html?_r=0)

Turkey is currently hosting 1.6 million Syrians--half of the total number of people who have fled Syria since March 2011--and spent over $4 billion to shelter, feed, and care for these refugees. 220,000 of these refugees are living in government-run camps that provide essential services such as food and basic shelter. The other 1.38 million (about 85%) are in communities along the Turkey-Syrian border.  

Communities often welcome refugees with open arms and residents joins together to provide their guests with assistance. Predictably, this generosity does not last indefinitely, and residents become frustrated with the strain refugees put on the community's resources and finances. Unfortunately, many Syrians feel that they have overstayed their welcome in Turkey, but are still unable to return home due to violence. Turkey is not awarding Syrians official refugee status, and therefore restricting their rights and protections. As a result, many refugees are opening their own unregistered businesses to compete with Turkish businesses. Overcrowding is causing rents to rise and leaving more Syrians destitute and completely reliant on limited welfare programs which Turks consider a financial drain. 

(http://www.unhcr.org/53ff76c99.html)

As is the case with the US/Mexican border, there are reports of refugees being refused entry and suffering abuse as they attempt to cross the border to safety. The difficulty of passing through official checkpoints caused many Syrians to attempt to enter Turkey illegally at unofficial crossings. Between December and August of 2013, there were numerous incidents (ten mentioned in the Amnesty report) when border guards allegedly beat 31 people trying to enter Turkey. At least 17 people were killed by border guards during that same period. 

(http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29314647)

Of course, there are other countries who could shoulder some of the cost of caring for Syrian refugees, but have so far slacked in their responsibilities. Only 28% of the $497 million allotted to Turkey for 2014 by the UN has been committed by international donors, and a recent Amnesty report notes that Turkey has received more refugees from Syria in September of 2014, than the entire EU in the last three years. 

To read the entire Amnesty report, click here or click here for interactive statistics regarding the flow of Syrians into neighboring countries from October.