A study on Syrian women subjected to human trafficking in Turkey between 2017-2022

Increasing human mobility around the world in the context of globalization can bring along a number of crimes and problems. The crime of human trafficking, which is constantly differentiating with the changing world order, has become one of the most important, difficult to detect and prevent problems of our age. People around the world are affected by situations such as war, violence, natural disasters, political, economic instability and human rights violations and leave their places of residence and migrate to other countries. Before, during and after these migrations, human trafficking crimes may be committed for various reasons, and individuals who migrate may experience significant victimization due to this. In this study, various situations such as the reasons underlying the act of migration, socio-demographic characteristics of Syrian women who were subjected to human trafficking between 2017 and 2022, the factors that led them to become victims of human trafficking in Turkey, and the forms of abuse they were exposed to were examined. The study was conducted through document analysis, one of the qualitative analysis methods, and analyzes were made on the files of the victims. In this context, the interview minutes of Syrian women who were identified as victims by the Provincial Directorates of Migration Management in the archive of the Directorate of Migration Management and the expert reports in the file, if necessary, were consulted and data were obtained. These data enabled the discussion of women's migration, especially forced migration, in the context of a feminist approach. Women's acts of migration were evaluated on the basis of issues such as patriarchal social structure and gender. As a result of the study, it is understood that Syrian women who are victims of human trafficking face a number of obstacles in the context of gender, they cannot overcome the language barrier, the majority of the victims do not speak Turkish, and in this sense, they cannot apply to relevant social institutions and organizations. It has also been observed that they face gender-based violence as a result of sexual exploitation and forced marriage. In this sense, it is thought that there is a need to take preventive and protective measures against the crime of human trafficking by increasing awareness activities at the social level, to ensure the integration of Syrian women into society, and to create permanent and sustainable mechanisms to remove gender-based barriers.