1. The Problem of Internal Displacement in Turkey: Assessment and Policy Proposals
- Author:
- A. Tamer Aker, Ayşe Betül Çelik, Deniz Yükseker, Dilek Kurban, and Turgay İnalan
- Publication Date:
- 10-2005
- Content Type:
- Research Paper
- Institution:
- Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV)
- Abstract:
- The resolution of the ―village guards‖ question and the ―return to village‖ of persons displaced during the armed conflict in East and Southeast Anatolia is clearly among the most pressing issues that Turkey will encounter in the near future. The European Union’s (EU) Progress Report dated October 6, 2004 contains a section entitled ―Economic and Social Rights‖ which addresses the situation in East and Southeast Anatolia and notes the improvements concerning security and fundamental rights; however, the report also describes the situation of internally displaced persons as ―still critical.‖ The steps the government have taken so far to solve the problem are limited to the ―Return to Villages and Rehabilitation Project‖ which intends to secure the economic infrastructure for return, and the ―Law on Compensation of Losses Arising from Acts of Terror and the Measures Taken to Fight Against Terror‖ (Law no. 5233), enacted by the Turkish Parliament in July 2004. However, it is generally felt that these measures do not suffice to solve the problem, and that the village guard system, the landmines, the region’s economic under-development, the danger of renewed armed conflict, and other factors present obstacles to return. TESEV—with its mission to support Turkey’s efforts towards democratization and EU membership—has decided to approach the problem from a different and more comprehensive perspective and to evaluate the problem and the solution efforts from a new vantage point. Although the efforts to overcome the obstacles to return to villages in the context of the EU membership are commendable, we believe that it is wrong to reduce the problem simply to one of ―return to village‖ and to limit the geographic scope of the problem to the region of East and Southeast Anatolia. The topic goes beyond the ―technical‖ measures that need to be implemented during the EU accession process, as it is one of a more profound, social nature. The armed conflict has not only resulted in all types of ―pecuniary losses,‖ but also in the violation of citizenship rights of a number of citizens in this country, as expressed in the 1998 report of the Turkish Parliament’s Investigation Commission. At the same time, ―the health‖ of not merely those left behind, but also of the entire society has been affected at a much more profound level. With these ideas in mind, TESEV has decided to address the issue in a way that diverges from state-centered modes of thinking, which have been hardened and immobilized by the conflict, and that does not favor any kind of ideological position or camp; in a way that aims at the restitution of citizenship rights and social rehabilitation; and in a way that addresses the human dimension of the problem from multiple angles. This report has been put together by expert and academic members of the ―TESEV Working and Monitoring Group on the PostDisplacement Restitution of Citizenship Rights and Social Rehabilitation.‖ It considers the problem from social, political, psychological, legal and other aspects, and it is the first product of a much broader study. Furthermore, the members of this group are co-authoring a book, containing a review and evaluation of international and national literatures, reports on fieldwork conducted in Diyarbakır, Batman, Istanbul and Hakkâri, as well as recommendations for solutions. This book will be published by TESEV within the next few months.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Migration, European Union, Citizenship, and Internal Displacement
- Political Geography:
- Turkey and Middle East