Berlin/Osnabrück, 05.07.2024 - since last Sunday, violent attacks have been increasing against Syrian refugees in Turkey. While business is destroyed and window panes are thrown in, those seeking protection live in fear.
In the city of Kayseri, in which migrants make up a good 5 percent of the population, a video on social media circulated last Sunday, which is supposed to show the rape of a girl by a Syrian. The video triggered widespread outrage and meant that violent groups of Turkish residents were devastating shops, houses, cars and motorcycles or set on fire who actually or supposedly belonged to Syrian citizens. Hundreds of shops and shops have been destroyed, so many refugees lost their main source of income and can no longer feed their families. Facilities that offer medical care, affordable foods or advice on the protection of protection also fell victim to vandalism, which also made the situation more difficult for refugee families.
"The children no longer dare to leave the house"
"We fear that violence against refugees will continue to escalate in Turkey," explains Joshua Hofert, board spokesman for Terre des Hommes. »There were also massive riots in other provinces. International media are already reporting nationwide of at least seven deaths. Just yesterday, personal documents from around three million Syrians registered in Turkey were apparently made public via a Telegram channel. The incident, which has not yet been officially confirmed, would be a massive violation of privacy and make these people into targets. «
The specifically triggered hatred reinforces the fears of those seeking protection. »There is now a lot of worry among refugees in Turkey. Our local partner organizations report that parents avoid public places such as parks in which their children previously played with children of other nationalities. The children no longer dare to leave the house, ”said Hofert. »The riots in Turkey show once again: anti -migration rhetoric discharges themselves into violence. Due to individual cases, entire groups are persecuted, with terrible effects for children and their families. This makes it clear that protection seekers in Turkey are by no means safe. The classification of Türkiye as a so-called "safe third country" by the EU-Turkey deal lacks every basis and endangers children and their families on the run. «