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The Challenges Faced by Professional Asylum Seeker-Related NGO Workers in Turkey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2026

Mehmet Can CarparOpen the ORCID record for Mehmet Can Carpar[Opens in a new window] and
Filiz Goktuna YaylaciOpen the ORCID record for Filiz Goktuna Yaylaci[Opens in a new window]
Mehmet Can Carpar*
Affiliation:
Anadolu University Faculty of Humaties Department of Sociology, Anadolu Universitesi Yunus Emre Kampusu, 26210 Eskisehir, Turkey
Filiz Goktuna Yaylaci*
Affiliation:
Anadolu University Faculty of Humaties Department of Sociology, Anadolu Universitesi Yunus Emre Kampusu, 26210 Eskisehir, Turkey
*
mececan@gmail.com
fgoktuna2@yahoo.com
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Abstract

Professional asylum seeker-related NGOs (non-governmental organizations) have been visible actors in Turkey, which is one of the most affected countries by forced migration in the world since 2011 when the Syrian civil war erupted. As a result, numerous studies and projects have been undertaken to explore the positions of these NGOs in terms of their effect on integration; yet the difficulties faced by NGO workers in Turkey have remained understudied. This qualitative study aims to close this gap by exploring the challenges that NGO workers face at an individual level. In this regard, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews from 33 staff in asylum seeker-related NGOs which adopt a right-based perspective. According to data, asylum seeker-related NGO workers experience significant problems stemming from both external and internal difficulties.

Keywords

Forced MigrationAsylum SeekerRefugeeNGOsTurkey

Information

Type
Research Papers
Information
Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations , Volume 34 , Issue 4 , August 2023, pp. 777 - 786
Copyright
Copyright © International Society for Third-Sector Research 2022

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