Visit to Urla (Klazomenai) Quarantine zone & One of the transfer points of illegal migration
Hür Hassoy Işıl Ergin 1
Where are we? Ege University Bornova Urla
Quarantine island
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Why are we in Urla? Quarantine zone «Tahaffuzhane»
Illegal migration
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Quarantine zone • The Ottoman Empire prevented people with contagious diseases from entering its territory with a quarantine station located in the Quarantine Island • There are three registered Quarantine Islands in the world. These are Elisa Island in the United States, Dubrovnik in Croatia and in Urla
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• In the early 19 th century quarantine zones were created to prevent fatal diseases like cholera, plague that spread from Asia to Europe • The ships sailling across the continents were checked for the risk of infectious diseases by these quarantine zones • «Tahaffuzhane» is defined as a sanitation complex established close to major coastal ports which had a basic task of preventing epidemic threats • The system’s main purpose was decontaminating and disinfecting goods and the ships and also antisepsis of passengers 5
• At that period of time especially the pligrams were checked at this quarantine zone • Quarantine zone was made in 1865 with the help of French government and continued to work until 1950. • The island has been the first arrival point of the exchange of immigrants from Crete in 1923 and it has witnessed the exchange tragedy • We will learn more details about how the system works from the fictionary film (~15 minutes) and from Mr. Şaban Koçoğlu (Director of Health for Border and Coastal Areas) while visiting tahaffuzhane building 6
Urla is one of the transfer points of illegal migration
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Definitions: refugee, asylum seeker, IDP •
The 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees is the main Updated symbolinternational instrument of refugee law. The Convention defines a refugee as: “Any person who: owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country”
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Asylum-Seekers: People who are seeking international protection. An asylum-seeker is someone whose claim has not yet been finally decided by UNHCR or authorities of the country in which he or she has requested refugee status. Not every asylumseeker will ultimately be recognized as a refugee, but every refugee is initially an asylum-seeker.
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Internally Displaced People (IDPs): people who are forcibly displaced within their countries of origin or habitual residnece but who have not cross an internationally recognized State border. People may be internally displaced as a result of armed conflicts, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters.
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Returnees: refugees who choose volunarily to return to their country of origin, in some circumstances be assisted to return by UNHCR and receive support after they arrive.
Health status of illegal migrants • Health status of illegal migrants can be affected – at the starting point, – at the journey and – at the destination country
(Gushulak & MacPherson 2000)
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At the starting point • Lack of social justice, poverty, poor living and working conditions, war, individual or institutional violence, barriers for accessing to health services and existing diseases are major risks at the starting point • The health problems before migration are related to the public health status of that country. In general, violence, political and economic instability are common in these countries 9
At the journey • Immigration journey often occurs in unsafe conditions, this is directly related to health • During the journey, falling from the vehicle and drowning due to bad weather conditions can be seen
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At the destination country • The lack of social rights in the target country, unawareness of existing rights and due to nonlegal position the illegal immigrants can not utilize health care
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The communicable disease risk increases for migrants • Tuberculosis, measles, diphtheria, pertussis, meningitis, respiratory infections, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, hemorrhagic feverof virus, malaria, sexually transmitted diseases, parasitic diseases, intestine infections
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Migration to Turkey • In the 15th century, Jews escape from Spain • In the mid 19th century Hungarian and Poles, escape from the pressures of Austria • In 1980s three hundred thousand Turkish immigrants from Bulgaria, • During Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) one million Iranians, • After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the migrants from Central Asian republics • Those who escaped from the Caucasia • In 1991, five hundred thousand Kurdish people after the Gulf War • At the end of the 1990s, approximately twenty five thousand Bosnian asylum seekers
(İçduygu&Toktaş, 2005; Gençler, 2008)
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Migration to Turkey • The nature of immigration has changed after the 1980’s • It evolved into illegal migration and illegal worker migration • Now, Turkey is the target or the gate of migration waves of different country and ethnic origin • The transit migrants stay and work in Turkey until they go to the target western countries • Turkey serves as a ‘waiting room’ for those who intends to go another countries
(İçduygu, 2000; Erder, S 2003; Gençler, 2008)
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The number of migrants Turkey recieved (Asylum seekers and refugees) Dec 2013 Total in country
ORIGIN Total Afghanistan Iraq
1,053,690 12490 23950
Syrian Arab Rep.
1,000,000
Somalia and others Islamic Rep. of Iran
11370 5,880
UNHCR,162014
Syrian Migrants • Between April 2011 - May 2014 a million of Syrian migrants came to Turkey • It is estimated that the number of Syrian migrants will rise to 1.4 millions at the end of the year • %75 of the migrants are women and children, and half of them are under the age of eighteen • The majority of this people try to live in the cities next to the Syrian border • Some of them had a chance to migrate to the western provinces • A large Syrian population occurred in the big cities, like İstanbul and İzmir 17
The Legislation in Turkey • Turkey is a party to the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the status of refugees. However the agreement is accepted with reservations of "geographical limitation” • Asylum seekers from Europe can get the "refugee" status but asylum seekers from outside of Europe can only get "temporary asylum” protection • A new law has been accepted on 4th April 2013 titled ‘Law on Foreigners and International Protection’ and it entered into force one year later • With this legislation they are given an identity number and they can receive health services. • But the content of the law is still not adequate
MAZLUMDER, 2013 18
• Although there is not any reliable data on illegal and transit migrants in Turkey, It has been estimated that the annual number of migrants are 250.000-300.000 • In the traditional immigration countries such as Canada and Australia, the annual number of migrants ranged from 100.000 to 200.000
BMMYK, 2010; Aça 2010
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Migrant disaster in Aegean The ship sank with 14 Syrain migrants
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The journey to hope ended with death: 22 migrants leading for Samos island died
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22 African migrants died
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Syrain migrants are found hiding in the truck on the ipsala border
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19 migrants which included 3 women 5 children were arrested
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151 migrants were arrested in the Aegean Sea in 2 plastic boats
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Between 7 May-10 July 168 migrants from Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Mali and Gana were arrested at the sea
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45 migrants were arrested in the Northen part of Aegean sea near Çanakkale
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29 migrants were saved in Kuşadası
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