Syria Internal War as a Case Study Within the Context of Catastrophe of Men's War on Children: A SUI Generis Case Study of Turkey's Policy Towards Syrian Children

Abstract

In this article, the impact displacement due to war conditions has on children and their families will be explored with particular focus on Syrian children and families. It is observed that during local, regional and/or global wars, those who suffer most are the non-combatant civilians, particularly families and children. This phenomenon was observed in 2010 when protests against the economic situation triggered the Arab Revolt. These revolts commenced in Tunisia, eventually spreading to other parts of the Middle East. In the midst of these events the Syrian issue acquired great importance. The demonstrations which began in 2011, aiming at Başşar Al-Asad's resignation from his post in Syria, started as an internal war. However, they eventually led to the involvement of other regional and trans-regional actors, turning into a crisis. The unrest now continues as a low-profile crisis. As in previous wars, civilians, especially families with children, have been the main victims in Syria. The intense fighting and increasing terrorist activities forced most non-combatant Syrian civilians and families with children to flee their country. Most opted to immigrate to safer countries, particularly Turkey and in Europe, searching for better living conditions. This article highlights the bad experiences Syrians had when they immigrated. Existing Turkish and European policies might be amongst various factors which trigger immigrants' bad experiences. They require closer observation so one can better understand the processes in action. Against this backdrop, this paper examines how Syrian children have been affected by the internal war in their country, which has been ongoing since 2011, and how Turkey treats Syrian children as part of its humanitarian-oriented immigration policy.

Citation

Kısacık, S., Eseler, B. and Camilleri, M.J. (2022), "Syria Internal War as a Case Study Within the Context of Catastrophe of Men's War on Children: A SUI Generis Case Study of Turkey's Policy Towards Syrian Children", Yerdelen, B.K., Elbeyoğlu, K., Sirkeci, O., Işıkçı, Y.M., Grima, S. and Dalli Gonzi, R.E. (Ed.) Being a Child in a Global World, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 101-114. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80117-240-020221010