Refugees in Istanbul; lost between policy and practice

Abstract

Turkey is hosting one of the largest resettlement programs for refugees worldwide. The purpose and main objective of this research is to create a bottom up analysis of how the theory and practice of the Turkish asylum policy influences the every day lives of the refugees. The findings are based on an internnship of three months at the Ecumenical Refugee Center (ERC) in Istanbul during which in- depth interviews with refugees from different countries were conducted. Who are the people whom we are talking about? How do they experience the procedures? How do they think about possible solutions? How could they make suggestions, and what do they think about their environment? How and where do they see their future? By making use of the social capital theory, a social network analysis and the capability approach, the livelihoods of the refugees will be unfolded. It will turn out that refugees are mainly dependent on the NGOs, whereas the UNHCR and the government lack capacity to regulate the extended refugee issue. Furthermore, Turkey's wish to join the European Union (EU) demands major adjustments of its migrant and asylum policy. Although most of the projects to align its policy with EU standards were launched years ago, direct results in the everyday lives of the refugees remain absent