Restricted Refugee Rights and Terrorism: A Comparison of Refugee Crisis in Pakistan and Turkey
In this research project I want to compare the refugee crisis in Pakistan and Turkey from the human rights perspective.
Which social and economic rights of refugees have been restricted in the Pakistan, and the effect of this situation on the terrorism risk above refugees?
Refugee crises and terrorism are interrelated, and it is possible to argue that when host states handle influxes of refugees poorly, it creates conditions favorable for terrorism. We have seen painful examples in recent history where terrorist movements have sprung from groups of refugees; for instance: Afghan refugee community in Pakistan that the Taliban raised.
Some terrorist organizations easily gained supporters from the Afghani refugee group in Pakistan, I would like to assess if there is this kind of risk for Syrian refugees in Turkey! The journey of refugees would end up at the terrorism point in some ways: they would create one group in the future or they could join an existing terrorist organisation or they might become one of the victims of human trafficker who sometimes supply “people” to terrorist organization.
It is needed to ask to what extent there is a risk of breeding a new extremist or terrorist organization within current refugee groups. We see news reports that assess how likely it is that extant terrorists can infiltrate groups of refugees. Beside these concerns, it is important to investigate on the risk of having a new organization in the future. To be able to have a satisfactory explanation for this matter, Syrian refugee’s situation and their problems that prevent them from integration in Turkish community in Turkey need to be underlined. By doing so, Afghan refugee crisis in Pakistan will be an effective case to compare with the situation in Turkey. The questions of which policies were followed by the Pakistani government, which refugee rights were given to Afghan refugees and which ones were not, how Taliban could gather thousands of supporters from them also need to be addressed.
It is essential, however, not to misinterpret these concerns as seeing all refugees as potential terrorists. This idea is not right. No one is born to be a terrorist. It is logical to assume that these people wish to see no more violence as this is one of the main reasons they have fled from Syria. They could have stayed in their hometown if they supported extremist groups. However, if they move to another country and become marginalized and discriminated against, over time they could become easy targets for extremists who promise them liberation or a better life. Turkey needs to be aware of the risk and should do its best to protect this young generation of people as well as the peace in Turkish society.
Given these considerations; following questions come to my mind but they are not academic enough and not concreate research question but would be useful to show the center of my ideas:
- To what extent is there a risk of a new terrorist group forming in the southeast part of Turkey in the future? To what extent is this a risk for among the young generation of Syrian refugees in Turkey?
- What needs to be done by the Turkish government and international organizations to be able to prevent or mitigate this generation from the danger of terrorism?
- Comparison the situation in Turkey compare with the crises in Pakistan following the influx of refugees from Syria and Afghanistan?
These are the main ideas that came up to my mind for research proposal for migration law school. I kindly ask you to create an academic and concrete research proposal around these concerns.
In the proposal example that I saw from the university that I am applying includes following titles:
Research Topic:
Overall aim:
Academic relevance:
Research questions:
Methodology:
It would be great if you include them while writing process.
