The events of 2023 highlighted the need for Türkiye to prioritize disaster-, migration-, and family-related issues in its social policies. While social policies in Türkiye have historically centered on child welfare, education, and health, it has become increasingly evident as we approach the country’s centennial anniversary that disaster and migration issues must be at the heart of social policies. As such, I intend to evaluate Türkiye’s social policies in 2023 in this chapter, focusing particularly on those related to disasters, migration, and family.
Disasters
Türkiye experienced a truly harrowing disaster when, on 6 February 2023, two powerful earthquakes struck the province of Kahramanmaraş. What otherwise should have been a time of jubilee and festivity, the hundredth year of the Turkish Republic quickly soured, becoming a year gripped by anguish after what would be dubbed the disaster of the century. Yet many a lesson may be gleaned as the dust from this disaster settles. For indeed it is incumbent on us to learn all that we can from the mistakes we made leading up to, during, and in the aftermath of any and all such destructive disaster.
It is crucial that we comprehend the depth of the physical, emotional, and psychosocial impact wrought by this calamity in order to minimize the number of lives lost, deliver the appropriate aid to disaster victims in a timely manner, and initiate long-term recovery operations whenever the next disaster inevitably strikes. The Türkiye–Syria earthquakes, as they are known in the international literature, served as a poignant reminding of our need to develop social policies prioritizing, first and foremost, effective post-disaster recovery.
Social policies are instrumental both in minimizing communities’ vulnerability to natural and human-induced disasters and in increasing social resilience against them. By strengthening individuals, groups, and society as a whole at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels, social policies are a key component in disaster management. Since social policies must include strategies aimed at increasing overall social resilience, they should promote educational initiatives, awareness-raising campaigns, and investments in safe infrastructure.
As traditional support systems like the family, society, and vocation continue to be eroded in the modern era, individuals are deprived of valuable social support, which has in turn caused vulnerability to disasters to surge. Social policies are therefore expected to take into consideration the fact that many individuals are alone, if not outright helpless, in the face of crises. Yet neoliberal economic policies and the erosion of the welfare state have given birth to policies that no longer aim to empower individuals and society. Still, social policies continue play an important role in disaster management, from mitigating damage caused by disasters to organizing post-disaster recovery operations.
Disaster expert Renos Vakis asserts that well-developed social protection systems should complement all risk management strategies. Preexisting social protection systems able to coordinate state, non-state, and private sector actors can both augment and operate alongside emergency response mechanisms during unexpected natural disasters. These systems should be built on robust analysis and information frameworks that facilitate policymakers in identifying the risks faced by different groups and that function as an integrated part of extant emergency management strategies.
The earthquakes that rattled Türkiye in 2023 highlighted the crucial role civil society played in disaster management. An extraordinary collective civic response to the disaster occurred throughout the country immediately following the February earthquakes. Indeed, civil society was instrumental at every level of response efforts, ranging from the provision of psychosocial services to active participation in urban reconstruction projects.
Migration
At the end of 2023, Türkiye hosted 3,199,927 Syrians under temporary protection, had apprehended 254,008 irregular migrants, and received 19,017 applications for international protection. These three groups are central to social policy in Türkiye. In the absence of formal policies and institutional practices for migrant integration, civil society has stepped in to fill this gap with its own activities that help facilitate integration, often utilizing international funds to support their efforts. TRC’s activities in this regard are particularly noteworthy, as they positively influence public attitudes toward integration. As of 2023, the TRC operates nineteen community centers across the country, each of which plays a crucial role in the integration of migrants. These centers provide various support services, educational opportunities, and social venues that expedite the integration process. Key activities at TRC Community Centers include:
Language Education: Language barriers constitute major obstacles to immigrants as they attempt to adapt to their new host culture. The language education programs offered by community centers afford newly arriving individuals the opportunity to develop their Turkish language skills so that they may communicate with the native population more effectively.
Vocational Training and Employment Services: Immigrants must have vocational skills so that they can contribute to the local economy. Community centers provide vocational training and employment services to migrants so that they may do just this.
Social Services: Community centers provide immigrants whatever social services they might need depending on their own personal situation.
Intercultural Education: The activities run by community centers promote intercultural awareness and fostering diversity in Turkish society by creating venues in which native and immigrant populations can come together and share their cultures with one another. This not only helps immigrants adapt to their new environment but also fosters a more democratic native community.
Social Activities and Engagement: Community centers coordinate various social activities that help immigrants adapt to their host society and build more robust social networks.
Legal Support: In addition to informing them of their legal rights, community centers provide valuable legal support to immigrants when necessary.
TRC Community Centers play a vital role in facilitating migrants’ integration both into Turkish society at large and into the specific cultural fabric of the individual cities in which they reside. These centers promote social inclusivity and cohesion by fostering environments that embrace cultural diversity. Beyond their role in supporting migrant communities, TRC Community Centers help cultivate a more inclusive societal mindset and underscore the importance of dynamic and decentralized social policies that take into consideration the unique realities of individual contexts.
Through these community centers, Türkiye has made extraordinary efforts to meet the day-to-day needs of one of the world’s largest refugee communities. As of September 2023, Türkiye had distributed around seven billion out of the approximately ten billion euros allocated by the EU to refugees since 2011.
Türkiye made significant strides in fostering a more inclusive, equitable, and democratic society for migrants and other marginalized groups throughout the year. In January, for instance, Türkiye adopted a new Strategy Document for Roma Citizens covering the years of 2023 to 2030 and an action plan for 2023 to 2025. These initiatives seek to address the challenges faced within Roma communities, to improve their quality of life, and to expedite their integration into Turkish society through education, employment, housing, healthcare and social services.
Family
Türkiye’s Ministry of Family and Social Services convened the 8th Family Council on 26 October 2023. The year’s theme, “Our Family is Our Future in Türkiye’s Centennial,” underscored Türkiye’s enduring commitment to maintaining family-centered social policies into the country’s second century. Some of the topics discussed during this council included:
- Population and Demographics: Rethinking the Family in an Aging World
- Environment and Climate: How Families Can Respond to Potential Crises
- Family and Law: Interinstitutional Collaboration
- Digitalization and the Family: A Crisis or an Opportunity?
- Social Development and the Family: Equity in Social Welfare
- Life Cycle and Family Resilience: Suggestions for Strengthening Families
The topics of the Family Council indicated that, in addition to family-centered social policies, several important issues reflecting Türkiye’s new realities were part of the agenda. Being home to an aging population meant that forthcoming social policies would address the needs of this demographic and, as such, would seek to enhance this age group’s quality of life and to develop support systems for them. Since elderly individuals would be encouraged to play an active role in society, this meant that healthcare services, social security, the pension system, housing, infrastructure, education, public awareness, social participation, and assisted-living programs would need to be retailored to take into account their specific needs and challenges.
Speakers noted that social policies dealing with climate and the environment would focus on sustainability, combating climate change, the efficient use of natural resources, and ways to ease society’s adaptation to new realities. These policies typically espouse a sensible, equitable, and inclusive approach to environmental challenges. Social policies clearly aimed at strengthening family and community resilience against potential environmental and climate-related threats, promoting environmentally friendly practices, and leaving a more sustainable world for future generations will concentrate on green energy policies, environmental and climate justice, environmental education and awareness, and green employment.
Digitalization has had a profound impact on family life, creating both opportunities for those adept at harnessing its benefits and problems for those unable to adapt. While digitalization certainly does improve communication, provide educational and learning opportunities, boost career prospects, offer entertainment options, and enhance connectivity, it also has the potential, particularly when misused, to produce a range of crises within families. These include growing concerns over privacy and security as well as digital addiction, conflict, and divide. Promoting deliberate and informed digital practices goes a long way in helping families navigate and adapt to this evolving landscape.
Both the content of the aforementioned Family Council and other social policy agendas for 2023 underscore the primacy of family-related in Türkiye. Alongside efforts to preserve traditional educational values and strengthen existing family support programs, the year witnessed a heightened emphasis on using morality to address emerging challenges to the family’s foundational role in society.
Tightened monetary policy and increased taxes had an adverse impact on families in 2023. Job losses, financial hardships, housing issues, and hurdles to accessing educational and healthcare services placed considerable strain on families. Rising stress and anxiety, difficulties balancing work and personal life, and communication problems among family members significantly eroded family resilience and cohesion. Existing social support and solidarity networks likewise began to deteriorate. That said, however, the family-centered nature of Türkiye’s social policies does not always mean that they actually strengthen families. The view that regards the family as an entity, if not a partner, responsible for helping to support the social welfare system and for shouldering the effects of economic crises ultimately harms the wellbeing of families. Considering this, Türkiye is in real need of social policies that actually strengthen families. As such, greater emphasis should be placed on promoting values inside the family and implementing corresponding social policies that bolster family assistance and benefits, enhance education and childcare support, provide child allowances, guarantee universal healthcare services, offer family counseling and support services, promote a balance between work and personal life, and address domestic violence.
Whatever the case, it must be reiterated that policies supporting families during crises can accelerate economic recovery and strengthen social resilience.