“The Pandemic Made Us Forget About The Refugees”

We talked to Levent Ayaşoğlu, the coordinator of Earth Is Home Association that is based in Ankara’s Altındağ district about the conditions of refugees and what should be done. Ayaşoğlu states that the suspension of the work of public and non-governmental organizations among the field during the pandemic has negatively affected the refugees and the poor in the region.

Could you tell us about the foundation purpose and the works of Earth Is Home Association?

The association was founded in 2016. Initially, our aim was to create a working model towards the Turkish society. Later, we carried out studies based on social acceptance and solidarity with the idea that refugees have human rights. Since 2016, we have directed our efforts to regions where there are tensions between local people and the refugee community. We conducted field studies in the districts of Ankara such as Beypazarı, Polatlı and Koçhisar. We conducted observations in Samsun and Denizli provinces. Since 2019, we have organized workshops under the name “Refugees and Social Acceptance in Turkey” in Ankara, Istanbul and Mersin.

As of September 2019, we started our field work in Altındağ district of Ankara and opened an office in İsmet Paşa by signing a protocol with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. We continue to carry out our activities from the neighborhood

We think that it is imperative to implement policies that put forward an approach based on social acceptance, solidarity and human rights.

In principle, we think that aid-based policies that reinforce victimization should not be implemented as a refugee policy. We think that solidarity policies that put solidarity and human rights on the axis should be implemented and the main solution to this problem begins from the local, from the neighborhoods.

This problem can be overcome by solutions where both sections of the society are together. We think that it is imperative to implement policies that put forward an approach based on social acceptance and human rights and solidarity. We plan to create platforms with all kinds of sections that accept these principles and work together with them.

You carry out your studies in the Altındağ district of Ankara. Can you give information about the structure of the district and about the people living there?

We’ve especially chosen to work in this neighborhood. This is a neighborhood with many problems. Altındağ district is a region where drug trafficking, prostitution, criminal events such as theft and poverty are very common. Therefore, local people and refugee communities sharing poverty and a non-human life should also implement solutions for a humane life. We are looking for ways for both communities to live together. This problem can only be eliminated with solutions where both segments act together.

As an association, in order to improve the life standards of the neighborhood, to discuss what needs to be done in 2020 and to create a road map, we held a meeting in a coffee in the İsmet Paşa district where our association’s office is located, together with the state institutions operating in the district including Social Services Center, Red Crescent Community Center, Ankara Bar Association Refugee Rights Center, Turkish Association of Social Workers, Contemporary Lawyers’ Association, Ses, Newspaper Solfasol, Association of Contemporary Journalists and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees as well as with thirty families of local residents and refugees living in the neighborhood. The most important problems of the neighborhood and how they can be overcome were discussed. We asked for one thing from the institutions that attended the meeting and that was just to listen to the neighborhood and trying to learn and said: “Let’s be “learners”, not “knowers”.”

At what stage are your attempts for a cooperative organization?

On January 25, a meeting was held at a representative level at the Turkish Association of Social Workers center in Kızılay in order to talk about the solutions for problems such as economic problems, lack of access to basic rights, education and health problems discussed at the former meeting.

At the meeting, it was decided to establish a cooperative that covers both communities in the neighborhood. Legal organizations have undertaken the preparation of the legislation in order for this cooperative to get organized, to realize a trade union perception as well as production that will protect the rights of employees. As of February, the Idlib crisis and then the pandemic period have created more urgent problems that need to be resolved daily for the association and for the structures working together.

Is it true that the number of refugees living in Ankara is around 110 thousand? What would you say about that?

We think and observe that this number which is known to be around 80 thousand according to official sources varies between 110 and 120 thousand. We see that registered and unregistered asylum seekers and refugees are also more in number. In particular, we observe that the rate of unregistered people among Afghan refugees is very high. As an association, we work mainly with Afghan refugees in Altındağ who are under International Protection Status. Many of these individuals live in Ankara without IDs, so they cannot benefit from any services and social benefits. There are two main reasons for this.

There is a segment who comes to the country illegally and does not apply to immigration authorities. There are also those who are registered in another province but want to live in Ankara for various reasons. Unfortunately, as the records in Ankara are closed by the Provincial Directorate of Migration, these people will not be able to access services and assistance as they live in Ankara.

As the Earth Is Home Association, we are working to ensure that the refugee community, which has a population of 100-120 thousand in Altındağ district can reach the rights they have and to live in peace with the people of the neighborhood within the scope of the protocol we had signed with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

You try to reach out to both refugees and the local community in the area where you work and determine their situation. Can you share the situation they are in now?

Hate speech against the refugees that started with the Idlib crisis continues. Government institutions and NGOs in the field suspended their work during the pandemic process. Therefore, all the poor in the district (local and refugee) are left alone. Social benefits and insurances, especially to registered Afghan families have been cut. Therefore, they cannot receive both economic aid and free health care.

There is a serious economic crisis in the district and families are on the edge of hunger. It should be underlined once again that the crisis hits all segments equally. During our interviews in the field, families from many local communities reported that they are in poor condition and asked for help. (especially in Atıfbey and Çubuk districts)

Therefore, we as the association, decided not to close our office in this process. We are trying to keep the office open all the time since the Idlib crisis and we’ve been in the neighborhood. We pay attention to hygiene and safety. Our goal was to lead refugees and get some results through other institutions. This situation has also limited our field of study.

Can a study be carried out for this region in cooperation with Ankara Metropolitan Municipality? Have you made an attempt for this?

As an association we try to be in the field during the pandemic process to identify urgent problems and to carry out studies focused on solutions. We initiated the following attempts to solve urgent problems.

It was decided to provide food and hygiene aid to refugee families by contacting the Provincial Immigration Administration and Metropolitan Municipality. As of April 6, the Provincial Immigration Administration began providing food aid to 320 Afghan families that we have listed, both registered and unregistered. We think that Metropolitan Municipality will start hygiene aid as of April 13. Thanks to the solidarity network we have created without waiting for the help of these institutions, we have delivered food packages to 24 families in need of immediate help with the cash aid we gathered. We made this distribution by meeting with families and neighborhoods in Örnek and Atıfbey neighborhoods and Gölbaşı and Çubuk districts. During these meetings, we created a list with the information of the local people in need, and our negotiations with the Metropolitan Municipality are continuing for a collective aid campaign.

Will you provide information to the refugees and asylum seekers on Covid-19 among your work? How were they affected by this process?

The pandemic process had a negative impact not only on the health of individuals, but also on their economies and social lives. We think that this crisis period will extend and solidarity structures established in the neighborhoods and acting together at the city level are needed for the normalization of life. Therefore, we discuss about the ways of establishing solidarity networks with the structures we are associated with and ways to spread these networks in a qualified manner.

We consider the idea of the cooperative we put before ourselves as a subtitle of this discussion. Our meetings with the World Health Organization and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees are continuing in order to inform the refugee community about the pandemic and for giving them health assistance. We are planning to start this work on April 20.

What were the problems you observed in the field before the pandemic?

The Provincial Immigration Administration directed the petitions of people whom applied for registration to other cities that were open without even registering them or without considering the reasons for their arrivals in Ankara. The Provincial Immigration Administration also did not cooperate with state institutions such as the District Governorship and Social Service Center, leaving the people with IDs helpless. Except for the Children’s Court No. 3, courts were slow to issue injunction orders. The conclusion of only 10 out of 32 cases, all from the Children’s Court No. 3, shows this. Even if the injunctions were issued, schools and hospitals had difficulties in registration and treatment because they did not have IDs. During the last six months, we have carried out studies to make them get their IDs.

In the field study we conducted before the pandemic, first of all, in order to gain the trust of Afghan families who are afraid of state institutions and Turkish society, we have worked for their most important problem which is their children without IDs to benefit from education and health services by collaborating with Ankara Bar Refugee Rights Center and lawsuits have been filed to juvenile courts to issue injunctions. The 10 out of 32 lawsuits filed for 93 children in total had been concluded and injunctions were taken for 34 children. We carried out our works on accessing aid and services. We were filing lawsuits for international contractual rights. As most of the institutions and organizations do not work because of the measures taken during the pandemic process, we cannot file lawsuits because the courthouses do not operate.