Upon Arrival to Anatolia: Some Thoughts and Considerations

Over the next 10 weeks, I will be working closely with the Turkish Red Crescent to develop a deeper understanding of the spillover effects of the Syrian civil war. The Turkish Red Crescent is a government-run humanitarian and disaster relief organization that focuses its efforts in Syria, Gaza, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Somalia and is closely linked in mission focus and objectives with the American Red Cross. 

According to IRIN, a service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, over 200,000 Syrians now live in 17 camps along the border, with many more thousands waiting in nearby areas to be registered by camp officials. An estimated $700 million to $1 billion dollars has been spent so far on efforts to alleviate displacement for Syrians fleeing the ongoing civil war.

My particular interest is in understanding what steps the Turkish Red Crescent has taken to effect gender-sensitive programming for Syrian refugees. I hope to take on a research role at the organization as I think the flexibility that is tied to research will enable me to take a narrower look at how the Turkish Red Crescent has dealt with changing gender dynamics within the Syrian refugee population. From a very broad perspective, it has been well documented that gender norms and expectations fluctuate wildly before, during and after conflict, but to date, there has not been a closer examination of where these common truths intersect with the unique experiences of Syrian refugees, both male and female.

This means that policy makers and service providers may find themselves in two opposing positions at once: touching on programs that, if expanded and better resourced, could maximize positive results, and supporting programs that may actually be unwittingly causing harm to recipients. A careful look at how policies and programs impact gender relations will hopefully help to reveal what steps can be taken to strengthen already sound programming and fill in gaps where needed.

In working closely with the Turkish Red Crescent, I expect that I may be able to answer some of the more pressing questions around how Syrian men and women see themselves as refugees as the conflict continues to unfold and where and how these perceptions condition real access to resources. The insight I pull from this experience will not only enrich my own understanding of the time I will spend here in Ankara, but will hopefully contribute to the expanding dialogue on the human dimension of the Syrian Question.