The Coordination Group of Afghan Refugees in Turkey in an open letter to the UN prior to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's visit to Turkey next week has appealed to pay attention to the plight of second largest refugees in the country—Afghans.
The statement says thousands of Afghan refugees are in several Turkish cities in deplorable conditions. Settled by The United Nations High Commission for Refugees, those refugees have no permission of inter-city travel and the right to movement choosing place of residence.
The group has appealed the UN General Secretary to meet Afghan refugees in their camps and see the terrible conditions they are living. The group says Afghan refugees hope the UN will pay attention to their plight and help them attain the right to access basic needs such as healthcare and right to work to feed their families.
According to the Amnesty International, Turkey is a signatory of the UN Refugee Convention that has a policy of not recognizing people outside the Council of Europe as refugees. UNHCR processes the claims from thousands of refugees from Middle East and South Asia including Afghanistan.
We urge the UN to take notice of the plight of Afghan refugees in Turkey who live in worst conditions and are deprived of the rights to access healthcare and work to earn their bread. With the harsh winter underway, thousands of Afghan refugees are living in parks and open groups sleeping under open sky at nights.
In recent months, the number of Afghans fleeing the country has increased due to worsening situation, unemployment and fear of a secure future. While on the other hand, industrialized western nations who accept refugee and asylum claims have tightened their policies, pushing them back.
As long as wars and conflicts continue in the world, people fleeing their home countries because of insecurity and other reasons will not stop or decrease, no matter how harsh and inhuman the policies of so-called civilized industrial nations become towards refugees.
Government of western countries where largest number of refugees reach in hope of shelter and asylum should adopt a merciful policy towards the deplorable conditions of asylum seekers. The UN needs to make efforts helpful to reduce poverty, end conflicts and insecurity so that people are not forced to flee their homes.