Family attitudes regarding labor life of Syrian children: Kilis sample

Civil wars that emerged as a result of anti-regime rebellions in the Middle East broke out in 2011 and also in Syria. This crisis situation caused people to migrate forcibly. Turkey, which has become a country of immigration since the 1980s, has been the target country of the massive wave of forced migration from Syria. With the forced migration mobility, changes in socio-economic and cultural dynamics have begun. Thus, Syrian refugees struggling to survive became visible in the informal sector. Among these refugees, Syrian child workers constitute the most vulnerable group. Child labor, which is a social problem in Turkey, has become even more on the agenda with the Syrian Crisis. Forced migration, poverty, inability to access education, and working in poor conditions as a source of cheap labor cause Syrian working children to experience intersectional disadvantages in many areas. This study examines how the socio-demographic and socio-economic status of Syrian families whose children do not participate in the education life and enter the working life determines the employment of their children, what is the perspective of the families towards their children's employment, the working stories of the children, and the future expectations of the families for their working children. This study was conducted to evaluate their thoughts from the family perspective. In this context, the problem of Syrian child workers in Kilis, one of the most important provinces hosting Syrians, was evaluated from the family perspective and made visible, and solutions were developed as a result of the interviews. The research is a field study based on qualitative method. Within the framework of the research, in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 Syrian parents. As a result of the findings obtained as a result of the research, it is concluded that the low socio-economic level of the Syrian families and the high number of people living in the household are the determining factors in the work of children, in the Syrian families with poor economic situation, children are seen as a source of income for the household and it is more beneficial for their children to work in the short term.