Report

Despite improved government response, problems remain in protecting the rights of Turkey's displaced populations

GENEVA/ISTANBUL, 1 June 2006 – Although the Turkish government has taken a number of important steps to improve its response to the needs of hundreds of thousands of people internally displaced as a result of the conflict in the country's southeast, the displaced still face significant obstacles in receiving just compensation for lost properties and support for integration, return or resettlement. This is the conclusion of a report published today by the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) and the Norwegian Refugee Council's Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. The report was authored by three members of the TESEV Working and Monitoring Group on Internal Displacement in Turkey.

“The government has made considerable progress in tackling the country's long-standing internal displacement situation, but the report shows that more efforts are needed to ensure that the displaced get adequate compensation and assistance”, said Elisabeth Rasmusson, head of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.

The armed conflict in the southeast has left a legacy of mutual mistrust between the state and the displaced population, which can only be overcome by addressing the human rights violations that occurred in the region during the conflict and by promoting peace and reconciliation, says the report.

Some 360,000 Turkish citizens – mostly Kurds – were evicted from their villages during the armed conflict between Turkish security forces and the PKK between 1984 and 1999, according to government figures. Many more fled the region for fear of becoming targets of attacks and harassment. Today, the majority of the displaced are thought to live among the urban poor in informal settlements surrounding Turkey's major cities, where they face endemic unemployment and lack of access to education and health services. The government encourages voluntary return, but the paucity of reintegration support, lack of infrastructure in return areas, and the fragile security situation prevent many of the displaced from going back to their homes. Many also fear the continued presence of village guards who – armed by the government to fight the PKK – have been responsible for widespread human rights abuses against civilians. The recent escalation of violence threatens not only future returns but also the safety of those who already returned.

The report, which reviews progress made since the UN's Representative on Internally Displaced Persons issued a set of recommendations after a country visit in 2002, acknowledges that a number of significant steps have been taken by the government in recent years. This includes a compensation law adopted in 2004, a framework for a government policy, increased cooperation with the international community and the commissioning of a survey.

However, the development and implementation of these measures have generally suffered from a lack of involvement of civil society, jeopardising their effectiveness and impact. And the substance and implementation of the compensation law, the centre piece of the government's response, is marked by a number of shortcomings.

The report recommends that the Turkish government

• involve civil society in the shaping and implementation of its displacement-related policies;

• make public the results of a government-commissioned survey on the internally displaced;

• disarm and reintegrate both PKK militants and village guards;

• develop projects to serve the needs of the displaced living in urban areas;

• provide security in rural areas where returns are taking place; and

• ensure effective and uniform implementation of the compensation law.

Finding durable solutions to internal displacement also requires addressing the issues of justice and reconciliation, the report says. It appeals to the government and the PKK to acknowledge their respective responsibilities for the human rights violations committed during the armed conflict. The report also calls on the government to ensure that perpetrators are identified and brought to justice, where possible, and to consider setting up a mechanism for reconciliation.

The report, titled “Overcoming a Legacy of Mistrust: Towards Reconciliation between the State and the Displaced” is available at www.internal-displacement.org and www.tesev.org.tr .

For more information, please contact Jens-Hagen Eschenbächer, NRC Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, Geneva, +41-22-799 07 03, or 41-79 79 79 439, or Dilek Kurban, Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation, + 90-212-292 89 03, extension 131.

The Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, established by the Norwegian Refugee Council, is the leading international body monitoring internal displacement worldwide.

The Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation is an Istanbul-based independent think-tank, which forms a bridge between academic research and policy making in Turkey.

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