Turkey is home to the highest refugee population in the world, having adopted an open door policy for people who come from Syria to Turkey. The number of registered Syrians in Turkey has reached 2,783,617 according to data from the Ministry of Interior Directorate General of Migration Management for December 2016. Of these, 1,301,026 are Syrian women.
While all Syrians – women, men, children, and elders – have been affected by violence and conflict in Syria and their life has been upended, the group mostly affected by affairs are women and children.
Even when there is no war or conflict, women and children are regarded as a disadvantaged group. Taking on the burden of chaos and conflict has deepened their usually disadvantaged situation. Analyzing news about Syrian refugees in written and visual media illustrates the fact very well. Sometimes, the coverage shows a Syrian girl sleeping in front of traffic lights after begging; sometimes it shows that Syrian women are being taken as second wives, and sometimes it reflects success stories. Considering that the issue of Syrian refugees has been used as a political tool, this depiction, which symbolizes the extremes of either “happiness” or “poverty,” does not reveal much about Syrian women’s future.
[Politics Today, December 14, 2016]
