Irregular migration in Turkey in the eyes of professional employees investigation of the role of civil society organizations

For centuries, Turkey has been on a migration route since its geopolitical position is on the transportation route between the continents of Asia, Europe and Africa. In recent years, Turkey is being used by immigrants as a transit country to move to Europe. Economic and political reasons such as the impact of the Arab Spring in the Middle East and the economic deficiencies in African countries have also increased these irregular migration movements. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), specializing in the field of migration, are providing various services in the areas of irregular migration and mobility in Turkey. It is important for both the individual and the institutional practices that irregular migration maintains its continuity and NGOs are getting more active in the field, and the roles of NGOs in the field are being examined by the eyes of professionals. The aim of this study is on the role of NGOs' field practices within the scope of irregular migration in Turkey and it is about examining the situations faced by NGOs in meeting the needs within the scope of social services. Interviews were made with 15 professionals working in NGOs. The data obtained is focused on three main themes. The research is a qualitative study and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 professionals working in NGOs using the in-depth interview technique. In this study, it was aimed to reach professionals working in non-governmental organizations in the field of irregular migration. In the research, the data obtained from the sound recordings were transcribed and codes and themes were created. Criteria sampling method, which is one of the purposeful sampling methods, was used within the scope of the research. These themes are: assessment of humanitarian aid services (Interpretation service, In-kind assistance services, legal counseling service), assessment of social service roles in the irregular immigration area (intermediary role and advocacy role) and problems encountered in irregular migration studies (language barrier problem, unaccompanied children problem, public infrastructure insufficiency in their institutions). As a result of the interviews, it has been determined that participants working in NGOs, in the field of irregular migration, frequently encounter a language barrier between law enforcement and irregular migrants, leading to irregular migrants making false statements. Moreover, they face many problems in waiting lounges due to lack of infrastructure in institutions leading to lack of hygiene and emerging diseases. At the same time, it was found that unaccompanied children, who are among the irregular migrants in the migration route, have problems in their age determination and are discarded from the protection system. NGOs working in the field of irregular migration assume the role of both the middleman and defender; By working in coordination with public institutions and other cooperated institutions in the field of irregular migration and by doing so, it has been determined that NGOs actually fill up a large gap in the field of irregular migration. It has also been determined that NGOs take the role of advocates to prevent violations to the rights of people who become irregular immigrants in the migration path. Keywords: Migration, irregular migration, civil society organization, social work