Giving Compass' Take:

• In this report from Refugees International, authors Izza Leghtas and Jessica Thea explore how and why Afghan refugees are sometimes facing more difficulties in Turkey than Syrians.

• Could refugee advocates have a greater positive effect by focusing on Afghan refugees instead of or in addition to Syrians?  Can nonprofits in Turkey that are aiding Syrians extend their efforts to Afghans as well?

• For more on the obstacles facing Afghan refugees, click here.

Turkey currently hosts the largest population of refugees in the world, including a growing number of Afghan refugees fleeing either violence and conflict in Afghanistan or the lack of opportunities and protection for Afghans in Iran. A group that receives less attention than Turkey’s 3.5 million Syrian refugees, Afghan refugees in Turkey face many difficulties, including in accessing housing, education, and employment.

In October and November 2018, a Refugees International (RI) team visited Turkey to research the effects of transferring registration and processing operations [from the UN] to the Turkish authorities. RI interviewed dozens of single Afghan men who described major obstacles in registering as asylum applicants with the offices of [Turkey’s Directorate General of Migration Management] at the local level ... Some were told that the authorities did not register single men, and others that they should return several months later to register. This means that they were not able to obtain Turkish identity cards (“kimliks,” in Turkish). Being without documentation from the Turkish authorities exposes these men to the risk of arrest, detention, and deportation, and impedes their access to such essential services as health care and education.

Several Afghans told RI that the challenges they face in Turkey – including limited access to work, decent housing, and documentation – make life much harder than they had anticipated. In some cases, the severity of these conditions is creating a push factor for Afghans to move on to Europe. Kareema, a woman living in Turkey with her husband, children, and adult brother, told RI that the harsh living conditions made them think of attempting the journey to Europe. “We’re thinking of going illegally to another country … at least to cross the border and go to Greece and then Germany … We were thinking initially to stay in Turkey, but now the economic situation [for us] is worse than Afghanistan. The only thing that is better is that no one is threatening us.”

Read the full article about Afghan refugees by Izza Leghtas and Jessica Thea at Refugees International.