Legal status of refugee children

Children are likely to have the negative effects of experiencing conditions pushing them into an asylum to another country. Besides, it is also inevitable that children will have to try to adapt to a new and usually uncertain life in the country of asylum. It is a fact that this group, which is still developing physically and psychologically, will be more affected by these difficulties than adults. According to the Geneva Convention as to Legal Condition of Refugees dated 1951, conditions of being a refugee are the same both children and adults. Nevertheless, by reason of the fact that our subject of study is children, these criteria will be analyzed in the way specific to them and on the basis of their specific situation, and the issue of whether those conditions are put into practice in the same way for adults and children will be dwelt on. It is essential for a person coming to a country of asylum to be protected in all processes related to their status. In case that those individuals are children, it is necessary to regard their best interests and other fundamental tenets in the Convention of the Rights of the Child in asylum and refugee procedures. The sections of our study are generally divided into criteria and procedures for determining the refugee status of children. On the virtue of the fact that our subject of study is such a delicate issue as refugee children, the primary regulations protecting children are included in our study, in addition to basic refugee concepts. Especially, after 2011, in consequence of the immigration of Syrian citizens to our country due to the domestic conflicts in their homeland, conditions relating to temporary protection status in terms of the assessment of the status of children, a large majority of those refugees, are included in our study. Keywords: Asylum, Refugee Child, International Protection, Temporary Protection