22 September 2010
According a report in every four families out of ten IDP families at least one child or youth death took place.
Basak Culture-Art Foundation and Istanbul Bilgi University Centre for Migration Research published a report on internally displaced persons (IDP’s) living in Turkish metropolises. According to the report in every four families out of ten IDP families at least one child or youth death took place.
The report entitled “Impacts of Forced Migration on Children and Youth- A Comparative Study 2004-2010” stated that the children of IDP families settled in Istanbul at different times are facing greater problems compared to the children raised in cities.
The field research was conducted in Üsküdar, Sultanbeyli, Maltepe, Kartal, Pendik, Beykoz, Tuzla, Ümraniye, Kadıköy, Ataşehir, Sancaktepe, Sultangazi, Esenler, Şişli and Gebze districts of Istanbul between February-April 2010. The participants were 260 children aged between 11-17 and 267 youth aged between 18-24.
The research indicates that within the displaced families 14,6 % of the children and 16,5 % of the youth suffer chronic diseases. In the 34,7 % of the families under 5 year-old-infant mortality were observed, which is much higher than overall infant mortality rate in Istanbul, 10,3 %.
The report also shows that illiteracy rate among these children and youth is 3,4 %, whereas according to the Turkish Statistics Institute data only 1,4 % of the youth aged between 18-24 living in Istanbul are illiterate.
In the displaced families girls are leaving school much earlier than boys. While only 12,4 % of the children and youth leaving school because of family pressure 62% of them are leaving school due to lack to financial sources and working in order to support the families.
The research also indicates that unemployment rate among the youth is 5% more than overall rate for Istanbul. The rate of unrecorded employment among displaced youth reaches 56%.
While the unemployment rate for the women raised in a displaced family is 26,4% the rate for men is 14,5%. In terms of payment and salaries, genders inequality shows up: 67% of the women and 50% of men earning minimum wage or less.
The research also shows that the children and youth from displaced families suffer nutrition deficiencies. The rate of those families who can consume red/white meat at least twice in a week is only 20%. The overall rate for Istanbul is 61%.
Another significant conclusion of the research is about cultural and artistic activities of the children in displaced families. 57,1 of the children and 42,5% of the youth has never been to a cinema, theatre or a concert.
ANF NEWS DESK /
ANF NEWS AGENCY
