Persons who have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country for reasons of race, religion, nationality, being member of a particular social group or political opinion , and thus are separated from their homeland and do not wish to return or will not return because of their fear, may seek international protection from another state in order to ensure the protection and security of basic human rights and their physical safety.
It means that whether these persons are refugees or not, after having received the refugee status, they will not be deported to their country of origin.
In Turkey, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM) are the two main institutions dealing with these issues.
- The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and UNHCR´s Services
The purpose of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is to provide international protection for those who have left their country for reasons such as war or persecution.
The two main tasks of UNHCR are the support of states in the provision of international protection and the resettlement of the persons requesting international protection to a third country while providing them with a refugee status, so that the persons may not be deported.
– Managing and coordinating the work of UN agencies to provide support during the Syrian refugee crisis;
– Strengthening the access to protection and social support mechanisms for people in need of international protection;
– Cooperating with Turkey’s Government Officials to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees in camps and urban areas;
– Supporting legislative and institutional capacity building for strengthening the national asylum system;
– Following the registration and status determination of non-Syrian refugees, following up their resettlement in a third country.
UNHCR Turkey prepared a “UNHCR HELP” website referring to the studies conducted in the main fields of activity.
The HELP website is provided in four different languages: Arabic, Farsi, English and Turkish. It includes information and guidance on various issues that refugees often ask for.
The UNHCR – HELP website can be found under: http://help.unhcr.org/turkey/
- The Ministry of Interior – Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM) and Its Services
The Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM ) is responsible for ensuring international protection for regular and irregular migrants in Turkey.
For those who have abandoned the country for reasons such as war and persecution, it is the authority that decides whether a person is given an international protection status.
Cross-border migrants, who applied for international protection, are allowed to stay in Turkey and can benefit from some basic rights and services until the final decision on their application is taken.
If a positive decision on the application is obtained, that person can stay in Turkey under international protection and can continue to profit from some basic rights and services.
The services of the Directorate General of Migration Management can be grouped in three main categories:
During registration procedures, it is recorded whether the migration was regular or irregular. During this procedure, immigrants are registered and their identity cards are issued.
Deportation Centers enable the cooperation of the Deportation Centers´ operations with other operations working in the field. In the centers, several services are provided such as emergency and primary health care for migrants, arranging interviews with relatives, lawyers, consulates or UNHCR officials. The Deportation Centers must ensure that children are under special care and benefit from education and training.
Accomodation Centers are centers where those who have applied for international protection are accommodated. The centers also provide protection services. Health services, education and other social needs are also covered in the centers.
