Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
76
across a wide range of protection issues. IOM also advises and supports the Government in
drafting and implementing migration-related legislation. For example, it has analyzed the
extent to which Turkish laws comply with international labor migration norms, and analyzed
the demand for foreign labor in various sectors of the Turkish economy. Like IOM, the
International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) is helping Turkey to build its
capacity for migration management. In particular, it supports the institutional development
and operational capacity of the DGMM.
With a few noteworthy exceptions, governmental cooperation with local and international
NGOs has often been somewhat tense. In the early days of the Syrian refugee crisis, when the
flows were expected to be temporary, the Turkish government was confident that it could
manage the situation single-handedly, through its Disaster and Emergency Management
Presidency (AFAD) in partnership with the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay). AFAD was
designated as the national coordinating body for the crisis, which as noted, was expected to be
short-lived. As the numbers seeking protection exceeded the capacity of the "temporary
accommodation centers" (refugee camps) established and run by AFAD, NGOs filled many of
the gaps in services, particularly at the local level.
Coordinating the activities of various government agencies is particularly challenging, both
among central government agencies and between Ankara and the provincial governorates.
Several different agencies in the central government have obligations toward forced migrants,
which they are struggling to fulfill. In addition, policies providing for basic rights and benefits
of protection (such as access to health care, education, and employment services) are
formulated by national policymakers in Ankara. They are then implemented by the provincial
directorates (İl Müdürlükleri) of national ministries across Turkey’s 81 provinces, which in
some cases reveal limited understanding of the relevant directives and operate with little
oversight.32
Briefly, a special advisor to the Prime Minister held widely appreciated regular meetings with
the line ministries with responsibilities toward forced migrants as well as with NGOs, but the
position was abolished in April, 2016. The Deputy Prime Minister with responsibility for AFAD
was then assigned broad responsibility for forced migrants, indicating that AFAD, the
coordinating body for emergency response, would take on wider functions, but a cabinet
reshuffle in May 2016 left that arrangement in doubt. DGMM, throughout, retains the legal
mandate for immigration and protection, and the Law on foreigners identifies coordination as
one of DGMM’s responsibilities. However, some confusion persists because the Temporary
Protection Regulation (Article 26/4) mentions that services provided by governmental bodies
for foreigners under temporary protection are coordinated by AFAD. Lack of coordination is
an obstacle to efficient and effective management of forced migration in Turkey.
3.1.3. Poverty Alleviation Efforts
Despite progressive legislation and generous provisions for access to social benefits, many
Syrians under temporary protection in Turkey exhibit some of the most visible manifestations
of poverty: informal work for substandard wages, child labor, crowded and substandard
housing, limited access to health care and education, and early or forced marriages.
Although most Syrian families in Turkey have at least one member working, nearly all Syrians
are underpaid for their labor due to the lack of formal employment, and the abundance of
workers in the informal sector. Along with the high cost of living in Turkish cities, this
32 Mert Öcal (Türkiye İş Kurumu Genel Müdürlüğü) in conversation with Kathleen Newland, May 2, 2016.