The co-chair of the association, Gülşen Kurt, announced the publication of Serhat Göç-Der’s “2022 Refugee and Asylum Seeker Report”.

Kurt said: "The policies put forward by the government towards refugees have deepened the tragedy experienced by so many of these migrants."

The report published by the Serhat Migration Research Association (Göç-Der) said that there has been intense migration in Van and the surrounding provinces. Kurt said that the policies of the government caused great tragedies.

Forced internal migration

Drawing attention to the war policies implemented by the government, Kurt underlined that nation-states have made more "security" policies a principle, and that the borders have been equipped with police station-fortress constructions. Kurt said: "Immigration, which started with the Syrian civil war in 2015, gained a new dimension with the Taliban's takeover of the regime in Afghanistan. The curfews imposed in Kurdish provinces in 2015-2016 and the conflicting process led to a new forced migration in Turkey after the 90s. These migrations have led to the reoccurrence of the sociological forced exodus experienced in the 90s."

Racist attacks

Kurt said: "These migrations have led to attitudes humiliating human dignity such as assimilation, cultural denial and racist attacks. In addition, the displaced Kurds were used to precarious heavy work as cheap labor. Kurds, who still work as seasonal workers in many metropolitan areas of Turkey, are exposed to racist attacks. Many of these attacks resulted in death. As a result of these forced migrations, the Kurds are struggling to survive in unsafe conditions. When we look at the recent past, there are many examples of attacks against Kurds who were displaced for necessary reasons. Impunity policies applied also cause these attacks to increase."

Refugee tragedy in Van

Emphasizing that Van is in a transit location due to the ongoing war in the Middle East, Kurt said: "These refugees and migrants are exposed to death and injuries as a result of adverse weather conditions and ill-treatment by human trafficking gangs. Even if these refugees overcome these difficult conditions and reach Van, they struggle to survive in unfavorable conditions. Women and children are the ones most affected by these harsh conditions. The children of refugee and asylum-seeking families are used as child labor. In addition, women are forced into non-consensual marriages due to social pressure."