Turkey's internally displaced people (IDPs) face uncertain prospects as a recent upsurge in violence in the south-eastern provinces threatens to undermine the positive impact of major human rights reforms which have been adopted since Turkey became a candidate for EU membership in 1999. Clashes between the Turkish army and Kurdish militants have raised fears of a return to the high levels of violence that led to the internal displacement of about one million people, most of them Kurds, at the height of the conflict in Turkey's south-east in the 1980s and 1990s. The government declared "security zones" in pockets of the south-east in June 2007 and the Turkish armed forces have talked of the need for an incursion into northern Iraq to tackle Kurdish rebels amid mounting tensions on the Turkey-Iraq border.

However, in the last three years, the government has made strides to address the internal displacement situation. It has undertaken a national survey on the number and conditions of IDPs; drafted a national IDP strategy; adopted a law on compensation for property damages; and put together a comprehensive pilot plan of action for IDPs at the provincial level. The long-awaited results of the government-commissioned national IDP survey were released in December 2006, confirming that the number of IDPs in Turkey is significantly higher than the previous government estimate of 355,807. According to the survey between 953,680 and 1,201,200 people were displaced for security-related reasons from the east and south-east of the country between 1986 and 2005. Since the June 2004 enactment of a law to determine compensation for displaced people, and following some unjust and inconsistent decisions by provincial commissions charged with the law's implementation, a number of reports have questioned its capacity to provide fair and appropriate redress. No systematic analysis has been carried out of the decisions taken so far, but the government has recently issued guidelines providing standardised guidance and training to the commissions to address problems of inconsistent and insufficient compensation payments.

These important steps indicate that the problem of internal displacement has become a national priority. There has been little progress however in addressing other issues key to the resolution of the problem of internal displacement in the south-east. No steps have been taken towards abolishing the "village guards", a paramilitary force created by the government to oppose the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), and a law adopted in May 2007 could even strengthen the village guards system, even though it has been widely identified as a principle obstacle to the return of IDPs and to the stability of the region. The national IDP survey also identified the perceived importance of regional development in the south-east, including improved public infrastructure, education and health services, and jobs in areas affected by displacement.



Read Full Report

Contact:
Jens-Hagen Eschenbächer
Head of Monitoring and Advocacy Department
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre
Norwegian Refugee Council
Chemin de Balexert 7-9
CH-1219 Châtelaine (Geneva)
Tel.: +41 (22) 799 07 03
Fax +41 (22) 799 07 01
www.internal-displacement.org










fted a national IDP strategy; adopted a law on compensation for property damages; and put together a comprehensive pilot plan of action for IDPs at the provincial level. The long-awaited results of the government-commissioned national IDP survey were released in December 2006, confirming that the number of IDPs in Turkey is significantly higher than the previous government estimate of 355,807. According to the survey between 953,680 and 1,201,200 people were displaced for security-related reasons from the east and south-east of the country between 1986 and 2005. Since the June 2004 enactment of a law to determine compensation for displaced people, and following some unjust and inconsistent decisions by provincial commissions charged with the law's implementation, a number of reports have questioned its capacity to provide fair and appropriate redress. No systematic analysis has been carried out of the decisions taken so far, but the government has recently issued guidelines providing standardised guidance and training to the commissions to address problems of inconsistent and insufficient compensation payments.

These important steps indicate that the problem of internal displacement has become a national priority. There has been little progress however in addressing other issues key to the resolution of the problem of internal displacement in the south-east. No steps have been taken towards abolishing the "village guards", a paramilitary force created by the government to oppose the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), and a law adopted in May 2007 could even strengthen the village guards system, even though it has been widely identified as a principle obstacle to the return of IDPs and to the stability of the region. The national IDP survey also identified the perceived importance of regional development in the south-east, including improved public infrastructure, education and health services, and jobs in areas affected by displacement.



Read Full Report

Contact:
Jens-Hagen Eschenbächer
Head of Monitoring and Advocacy Department
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre
Norwegian Refugee Council
Chemin de Balexert 7-9
CH-1219 Châtelaine (Geneva)
Tel.: +41 (22) 799 07 03
Fax +41 (22) 799 07 01
www.internal-displacement.org










training to the commissions to address problems of inconsistent and insufficient compensation payments.

These important steps indicate that the problem of internal displacement has become a national priority. There has been little progress however in addressing other issues key to the resolution of the problem of internal displacement in the south-east. No steps have been taken towards abolishing the "village guards", a paramilitary force created by the government to oppose the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), and a law adopted in May 2007 could even strengthen the village guards system, even though it has been widely identified as a principle obstacle to the return of IDPs and to the stability of the region. The national IDP survey also identified the perceived importance of regional development in the south-east, including improved public infrastructure, education and health services, and jobs in areas affected by displacement.



Read Full Report

Contact:
Jens-Hagen Eschenbächer
Head of Monitoring and Advocacy Department
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre
Norwegian Refugee Council
Chemin de Balexert 7-9
CH-1219 Châtelaine (Geneva)
Tel.: +41 (22) 799 07 03
Fax +41 (22) 799 07 01
www.internal-displacement.org










ement.org/countries/turkey"> Report

Contact:
Jens-Hagen Eschenbächer
Head of Monitoring and Advocacy Department
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre
Norwegian Refugee Council
Chemin de Balexert 7-9
CH-1219 Châtelaine (Geneva)
Tel.: +41 (22) 799 07 03
Fax +41 (22) 799 07 01
www.internal-displacement.org