Turkey .. Corona quarries Syrian workers in their homes and loses their source of livelihood

Zaher Albik-Ankara

The slogan "Stay at home" has become an obsession that haunts about four million Syrian refugees in Turkey, especially the category of workers. They live a state of anticipation and daily thinking after the precautionary measures and measures taken by the Turkish authorities to face the Corona pandemic, resulting in the loss of a large segment of them to their livelihood.

It is true that the impact of government measures also affected the Turks, but the difficult economic conditions and the obligations imposed by the refugee situation would increase the feeling of fear and instability.

With most markets pausing and the rise in the exchange rate of the dollar against the Turkish lira, which has reached the limits of 6.70 Turkish lira per dollar, it is added to the price increase by a large percentage, the voices of the severely damaged Syrian workers began to arise, demanding that there should be a party that stands beside them and supports them in this Stressful conditions.

It is noteworthy that the Turkish authorities, in the framework of the procedures to confront the spread of the Corona virus, closed barber salons and beauty centers, and prevented the owners of restaurants and sweets from receiving customers and satisfied with the demand, while factories, tourism companies and other facilities closed their doors.

Living anxiety and challenges
The Syrian refugee Subhi Al-Aref lives with his family in the city of Ankara in a state of great concern, especially after the closure of the café where he worked as a waiter, against the backdrop of precautionary measures taken by the Turkish authorities.

Sobhi found no words other than "whoever did not kill him Corona will take care of hunger", during his conversation with Al-Jazeera Net about the reality of his condition after losing his livelihood.

Sobhi was earning about 2,500 Turkish liras per month, with which he managed his livelihood and his family of five, and he says the confusion is apparent in the tone of his voice, "I do not know what will happen to my family with the end of this month, and the house rent has become close to the doors."

He adds, "We only have a humanitarian aid card (the Red Crescent card), but the amount (about 600 Turkish lira per month) that comes to us covers only the rent and part of the monthly bills."

Sobhi is one of the thousands of Syrian refugees who are in need of urgent assistance, especially with the rise in commodity prices in Turkish markets, as a result of the shopping fever, for fear of losing it with the intensification of the Corona crisis in the country.

As for Abdo Dakhil, a refugee from the city of Deir Al-Zour, who works in a textile factory, he does not have the ability to pay the rent for the house he lives with when the end of this month comes, “Even if the owner of the house gives me until next month, the fee will accrue to us, as well as Expenses and bills for water, electricity, gas and food. "

"I have two children and we are not receiving any assistance from the Turkish Red Crescent, which requires three children to provide assistance to the family," he added to Al-Jazeera Net.

Dakhil, who was receiving weekly wages before the status quo, indicated that the owner of the factory told them at the close that he did not know when they would return to work, and that this leave was not paid, so the open holiday until the country’s deteriorating situation improves due to the emerging virus.

And because the closure affected most of the work of Syrian refugees in Turkey, the option of borrowing from friends and acquaintances seems difficult, according to Abdo Dakhil.

Social responsibility
In turn, the head of the Syrian Associations Forum in Turkey, Mehdi Rais, stated that the Syrian workers who work on a daily basis face a living catastrophe at the present time, while those working in companies and workshops will be seriously affected after two months if the crisis continues.

"No one has a plan that can be built on in order to save these workers, and the responsibility for helping them rests with everyone who can extend a helping hand, from the Turkish state, which must bear the greatest burden to local and international civil society organizations up to the owners of capital," Reyes told Al Jazeera Net. From merchants. "

He pointed out that the Turkish Ministry of Social Affairs helps workers who work regularly and have a work permit and social security, but these are few in number.

On the movements of the Syrian Associations Forum in this regard, Reyes confirmed that the platform worked to coordinate the efforts of the institutions among them and launched campaigns to raise awareness of the measures necessary to confront the virus.

He added, "The number of Syrian workers present in Turkey amounts to about one million, and we can say that all of them are affected, and the damage varies from part to whole, especially since some of the workshops and factories were completely closed and stopped working."

The Arab Campaign to Combat the Corona Virus, affiliated with the Syrian Associations Forum, announced the opening of the door to aid to needy families that were affected by the measures taken, indicating that the information will be provided to the Istanbul Immigration Department upon request.