Programmes and Operations

Present Programmes

Turkey

Overview and Program Details

Contact details:
Kevin Quigley,
Country Director

Overview

ICMC Turkey continues to expand its scope of services provided for refugees in the Middle East region.

The ICMC office, funded by the United States Department of State, works closely with the U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration [PRM], the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of the Department of Justice, the offices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR] in the region, the International Organization for Migration [IOM], U.S. embassies abroad, and, of course, the ICMC secretariat in Geneva.

Locally, ICMC Turkey has established good ties with other relief organizations, such as Caritas Istanbul, the Istanbul Inter-Parish Migrants Program and the Refugee Legal Aid Program, The Light House, and The Human Resource Development Foundation as well as working closely with local health clinics, municipalities, and other private and State entities..

[ To read the caption ]

ICMC Turkey's success and growth is largely due to its committed monitoring of refugee caseloads, as well as its established professional and personal links with the organizations mentioned above. We strive to provide a human face for refugees as they are guided through the resettlement process. As the team gains the confidence of refugees through friendliness, concern and dedication, ICMC Turkey is able to make the following services available.

Background

Processing refugee applications for resettlement to the United States remains ICMC Turkey's main focus [see statistics below]. Currently, the ICMC Turkey region covers Turkey, Kuwait, Lebanon, Yemen, India , the United Arab Emirates, Nepal (through January 2007) and Pakistan. Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan also fall under the program although currently no processing is being conducted in these countries.

We coordinate schedules with the UNHCR and DHS, as DHS officers make periodic visits to program sites to adjudicate refugee cases. To prepare cases for adjudication, we interview refugees and prepare resettlement files for DHS officers. We are particularly proud of the close working relationships we maintain with DHS, the UNHCR and U.S. embassies and consulates.

In addition, the office also undertakes "out-processing" responsibilities. These include the preparation of security clearances, medical examinations and travel documents. ICMC Turkey also administers a "fast-track" program in Istanbul for Iranian Bahais. Through donations from local donors, ICMC Turkey provides food and clothing assistance for its most vulnerable cases.

The tragedy of the 11 September attacks on the USA resulted in a "temporary freeze" of refugee cases to be presented to DHS. Eight months later, in May 2002, ICMC Turkey was able to schedule over 1,300 refugees for interviews with DHS officers. ICMC Turkey's previous experience allowed our office to react to new file requirements and implement new procedures and tracking systems. Since 11 September, ICMC Turkey's role as advocate has taken on new meaning as we navigate through new file procedures and requirements for the refugee program in the Middle East region.

As political situations develop and evolve in the Middle East region, ICMC Turkey is called upon to provide its expertise. In this regard, the office has, in the past, established refugee processing in Jordan and Syria. The office was also instrumental in the opening of ICMC offices in Islamabad, Pakistan in 1999 to manage the United States Refugee Resettlement program there. Today, ICMC Turkey is responsible for the office in Pakistan where ICMC staff remains.

Statistics for 2006

During 2006, 1459 were approved for resettlement to the United States and 1238 departed to the United States. At the end of Calendar year 2006, 474 people remained in the pipeline awaiting departure.

Cultural orientation program

ICMC continues to conduct cultural orientation programs in Lebanon, Yemen, Kuwait, Pakistan, Nepal (through January 2007), the United Arab Emirates, India (after January 2007) and Turkey for refugees accepted through the United States Refugee Resettlement Program.

[ To read the caption ]

In the fiscal year 2003, the ICMC Cultural Orientation program trained a total of 855 people. Sessions held included the first classes in Yemen, conducted for Somali women who were the heads of their households, with an accompanying children's cultural orientation class. In the same year, 97% of those trained were Iranians, 2% were Somali and 1% were Afghani, with the remaining 1% from countries such as China and Uzbekistan. All classes lasted for three days. We also piloted a children's and youth curriculum in Turkey, as well as Yemen. In addition, ICMC Turkey began to conduct shortened cultural orientation classes for appropriate cases. The program in Yemen has continued with smaller numbers, but ICMC anticipates an increase in the coming fiscal year.

Refugee Cultural Orientation Class (CO) Istanbul

By March 2004 (the middle of the fiscal year), ICMC Turkey had already trained 801 people in Turkey (including several children's cultural orientation classes), with planned trips to Yemen and further processing in Turkey anticipated for the third and fourth quarters. Training continues to be conducted in the satellite city of Kayseri in Turkey with the support of the local authorities.

Also in March 2004, ICMC Pakistan's office moved under the administration of ICMC Turkey. A total of 156 people had attended cultural orientation classes in Pakistan by March 2004.

CO was conducted in Turkey, Lebanon, and Yemen in 2005, and the region was expanded to include Ad Hoc countries, including Nepal, the UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. The Yemen program grew in 2005, serving a Yemen population of 446 individuals in addition to the classes for 94 in Lebanon, and 685 individuals in Turkey, training a total of 1225 individuals in FY-05.

Lebanon's program, which was temporarily on hold at year end, resumed in 2006, and CO was also conducted Turkey, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Yemen in 2006. In 2006 ICMC Turkey trained 1064 individuals and ICMC Pakistan sub-office trained an additional 133 individuals. Growth was seen in both the Emirates and Nepali programs. In addition, a CO trainer dedicated to Children's and Youth CO, traveled to Yemen to conduct CO. This new curriculum was revised and expanded in close collaboration with the Center for Applied Linguistics during their visit to Istanbul in July 2006. In January 2007, ICMC India was assigned to ICMC's region.

Police training project

The aim of this project was to improve the capacity of local police personnel in the areas of protection and the defense of the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, and to contribute to efforts to bring the overall asylum system in line with European Union standards and international best practice. The project addressed the problems of human rights advocacy and the protection of forcibly displaced people at the prevention level, rather than trying to advocate for refugees and protect their rights after the legal or governmental systems had failed them.

The training project that was implemented in cooperation with the Turkish Ministry of Interior's Directorate of National Security had two phases. The first phase, funded by the Global Opportunities Fund (GOF) of the British MFA, began in July 2004. It consisted of beginners' level training workshops for officers from the Department of Foreigners Border and Asylum staff, who undertake a "first contact role" with asylum seekers. The workshops dealt with issues including status determination, refugee and human rights law, international standards in approaching refugee and asylum-related issues, an introduction to practices in other countries, learning how to deal with traumatized refugees, and interview techniques.

A specialized training course in asylum practices was also attended by a group of senior officers. The training included sessions on laws and regulations, principles of international refugee law, EU law and conditions in EU member countries, interview techniques, information on unaccompanied minors, sexually abused women, and other extremely vulnerable individuals who have been exposed to torture or who have been traumatised, and the practical aspects of refugee status determination. The course included a 'training of trainers' component to ensure the dissemination of information.

In August 2005, Phase Two of the project was implemented, training further groups in the above coursework, and also including an evaluation period where teams from ICMC and the MOI visited the satellite cities to observe the officer's work and provide follow-up and evaluation. In addition, meetings were organized between local mayors, municipalities, and foundations designated to serve the refugees under the National Action Plan for networking and information-sharing. The evaluation teams made follow-up recommendations regarding the work that needs to be done by all of those serving this community in order for the new system to function effectively.

In August 2006, ICMC completed the Police Training Project in Turkey. At the request of the Ministry of Interior, this project improved the capacity of local police personnel in the areas of protection and the defence of the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, and contributed to efforts to bring the overall asylum system in line with European Union standards and international best practice. The project addressed human rights advocacy issues and the protection of forcibly displaced people by seeking to protect their rights though effective legal and governmental systems.

Social Services

Background

ICMC continues to administer a social services project funded by the UNHCR for refugees and asylum seekers in Istanbul. Originally a large percentage of refugees who benefited from this project were from the former Yugoslavia. ICMC also worked in the Kirklareli camp, close to the Bulgarian border until 2003. The camp provided shelter, food, health services, clothing and a host of other services for Bosnians and Kosovars while a durable solution for these refugees was being reached. The camp closed on 27 October 2003.

In the past several years, the demands of the program have increased dramatically, with ICMC Social Services working with newcomers, asylum seekers and refugees from numerous nationalities and language groups, mostly non-Europeans. As of December 2006, the number of refugees and asylum seekers residing in Istanbul who are included in the Active Case List was approximately 2277 persons. They are served by a team of two social workers, a project manager/social worker, and 2 Arabic translators as well as a staff of volunteer interns. In addition, the project has 2 part-time staff who provide legal and psychological counselling as well as one part-time staff member who conducts mental health assessments for minors. In all instances, ICMC plays a vital role in helping refugees who would otherwise "fall through the cracks" unnoticed.

IN 2006, 4569 face-to-face counseling sessions and 3729 phone counseling sessions were conducted by the team, and a total of 2401 people were seen by the staff, excluding the newcomers who were not registered with the UNHCR, yet approached the ICMC office and received counseling. This also excludes those newcomers and beneficiaries who are de facto in Istanbul but whose addresses are recorded in another city in UNHCR records. As of December 2006 a total of 188 newcomer cases were on the waiting list for registration. Staff also registered 547 cases/691 persons for the UNHCR.

The number of the registered newcomers during 2006 is 547 cases / 691 persons. They were mainly from Iraq, African countries (Sudan, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Congo, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Somali, Morocco and Burundi) and Iran, Afghanistan, Palestine, and Sri Lanka. The languages of these newcomers were mainly Arabic, French and Farsi. However there are also some applicants like Mauritanians who can speak only their local languages such as Soninke and Peule which has been the main obstacle in conducting their asylum application registration and providing adequate social counseling. In the final months of 2006, the Social Services office has seen a dramatic increase of asylum seekers arriving from East Africa. The majority of this special caseload, who come by ship illegally, are from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan. The arrival of this group has challenged the resources of the Social Services office as these refugees have a host of special legal, medical, financial and other concerns.

The ICMC Social Services Office provides social, legal, financial, psychological and psychiatric counseling, material assistance, home visit monitoring and health services. However, in the past 2 years, the UNHCR has asked ICMC to take on responsibilities usually carried out through the UNHCR, such as registration of newcomers, delivery of appointment dates, and Refugee Status Determination letters. With a significant growth in the numbers of newcomers, and with many illiterate and speaking local languages, registration has demanded more resources from the program that were formerly devoted to social services. The office also seeks durable solutions for the refugees [repatriation, resettlement, local integration.