Poverty and Social Exclusion of Roma in Turkey
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Başak Ekim Akkan, Mehmet Baki Deniz, Mehmet Ertan Photography: Başak Erel Poverty and Social Exclusion of Roma in Turkey spf sosyal politika forumu . Poverty and Social Exclusion of Roma in Turkey Published as part of the Project for Developing Comprehensive Social Policies for Roma Communities Başak Ekim Akkan, Mehmet Baki Deniz, Mehmet Ertan Photography: Başak Erel . Editor: Taner Koçak Cover photograph: Başak Erel Cover and page design: Savaş Yıldırım Print: Punto Print Solutions, www.puntops.com First edition, November 2011, Istanbul ISBN: 978-605-87360-0-9 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without the written permission of EDROM (Edirne Roma Association), Boğaziçi University Social Policy Forum and Anadolu Kültür. COPYRIGHT © November 2011 Edirne Roma Association (EDROM) Mithat Paşa Mah. Orhaniye Cad. No:31 Kat:3 Edirne Tel/Fax: 0284 212 4128 www.edrom.org.tr [email protected] Boğaziçi University Social Policy Forum Kuzey Kampus, Otopark Binası Kat:1 No:119 34342 Bebek-İstanbul Tel: 0212 359 7563-64 Fax: 0212 287 1728 www.spf.boun.edu.tr [email protected] Anadolu Kültür Cumhuriyet Cad. No:40 Ka-Han Kat:3 Elmadağ 34367 İstanbul Tel/Fax: 0212 219 1836 www.anadolukultur.org [email protected] The project was realized with the financial support of the European Union “European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)” program. The Swedish Consulate in Istanbul also provided financial support to the project. The contents of this book do not reflect the opinions of the European Union. This program is financed Istanbul by the European Union. Project for Developing Comprehensive Social Policies for Roma Communities Project for Developing Comprehensive Social Policies for Roma Communities was carried out by EDROM (the Edirne Roma Association), the Boğaziçi Uni- versity Social Policy Forum, and Anadolu Kültür. The project was realized with the financial support of the European Union Tur- key Delegation’s Democratization and Human Rights Program. The Swedish Consulate in Istanbul also contributed to the project. The project team was composed of the following people: Başak Ekim Akkan (advisor), Mehmet Baki Deniz (researcher) and Mehmet Ertan (researcher), Goncagül Gümüş (coordinator), Özlem Anadol (administrative assistant) and Başak Erel (visual advisor). The fieldwork and in-depth interviews were conducted by Başak Erel, Mehmet Baki Deniz, Mehmet Ertan and Goncagül Gümüş. Photography workshops and exhibitions were organized by Başak Erel and Başak Ekim Akkan. This book was written by Başak Ekim Akkan, Mehmet Baki Deniz and Mehmet Ertan from the the Boğaziçi University Social Policy Forum. November, 2011 spf sosyal politika forumu . A Roma is treated the same everywhere. She is excluded, people are hesitant. I mean we do not have any contact with people. We go out in the morning, come back home in the evening, always after bread. Maybe they are not even aware of it, maybe they just do not care... Rıfat, Atmaca - Bergama . Thanks... We first would like to thank Ayşe Buğra. Also, we thank Özcan Yurdalan, Berke Baş, and Osman Kavala for their support. We thank the Edirne Roma Association (EDROM), the Boğaziçi University Social Policy Forum, and the Anadolu Kültür employees who supported us throughout the whole project. Social worker Vedat Paluli and Çetin Zengin in Erzurum, Metin Özbaskıcı and Sabriye Gökçen in Samsun, and Yeni Mahalle muhtar Ali Hakikat in Konya were all people who had been working with Roma in their cities and the Project was realized with their significant contributions. The fieldwork was made possible with the help of the president of the Bergama Roma Women’s Association, Meryem Atmaca; the president of the Atmaca Cul- ture and Tourism Association, Ali İhsan Tunç; and the presidents of the Hatay Dom Association, Mustafa and Erkan Karabulut. We are thankful for their help. The photography workshops would not have been possible without the efforts of Ali Pekşen, Mehmet Cevizli, Çağıl Ömerbaş, Yüksel Çoşkun, and Hatice Kuyumcu. We thank Alp Kanzık, Gülseren Duman, Fidan Erpğlu, Nazlı Alçığ, Sidar Bayram, Duygu Doğan, Ceren Deniz Gören and Ezgi Güner for transcrib- ing the interviews conducted during the fieldwork. Also,we thank Emre Şahin for translation, Kathryn Kranzler for copyediting our final report, and Taner Koçak and his establishment, Punto Print Solutions, for helping publish the report. We would like to thank the Ataşehir District Governorship and Munici- pality, and Ataşehir Community Center manager Yasemin Kotan; the Yeni . Sahra Neighbourhood muhtar Şeref Uzun, the Barbaros Neighbourhood Muhtar Unit, and the residents of Barabaros, Yeni Sahra and Küçük Bak- kalköy neighborhoods. We also would like to thank the Samsun Governorship, the Metropoli- tan Municipality, the Canik Municipality, Canik deputy mayor, Mustafa Erbay; and Canik Municipality Cultural and Social Services department administrator, Şerif Mırık. We thank the muhtar of Yavuz Selim Neigh- bourhood, Ömer Gezgin; and of 264 Neighborhood, Günay Sobotay. Canik Emrullah Efendi Primary School principal, Kemal Akın, and Samsun Ya- vuz Selim Yatılı Bölge Primary School principal, Kemal İnce deserve our thanks. We also thank the president and memebers of the Black Sea Region Roma Culture Reseaarch, Education and Development Association, as well as the residents of the Yavuz Selim and 264 Evler TOKİ Apartments. We thank the Konya Governorship and governor, Nezih Doğan, and the Metropolitan Municipality as well as Haşmet Okur, the general secretary. Thanks also go to the Karatay District Governorship, the Social Services City Department, and the Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation. Seyfi Üstün, the president of Karatay Zeliha Seyman Primary School, and the muhtar and council members of the Konya Yeni Mahalle and Doğanlar neighborhoods and Dr. Özgür Ünal of the Karatay No. 3 Health Center and the residents of Yeni Mahalle Doğanlar and Çimenlik neigbourhoods de- serve our thanks. We thank the İzmir Governorship, the Metropolitan Municipality , Berga- ma provincial governor, Ahmet Ertan Yücel; Bergama Municipality; Ber- gama mayor, Mehmet Göneç; deputy mayor, Murak Akgün; and former mayor, Sefa Taşkın. We also thank the principal of Atatürk Primary School, Önder Öztürk, the members of the Bergama Culture, Tourism, Solidarity Association and the Bergama Women’s Association, and the residents of the Bergama Atmaca neighbourhood. We thank the Hatay Governorship and deputy governor Şahin Bayhan, Hatay Municipality and mayor Lütfü Savaş as well as the employees of the Social Services City Department, and manager Mevlüt Aydın. We also would like to thank the principal of Hatay Şeyoğlu Primary School, and the . president and members of the Hatay Dom Association; and the residents and muhtar of Hatay Emek, Altınçay, and Saraykent neighbourhoods. Finally, we thank the Sakarya Governorship and Governor Mustafa Büyük. Contents Foreword .......................................................................................................................................13 The story of the project ...................................................................................................................15 1. Introduction ... ...........................................................................................................................23 2. Social exclusion in Roma narratives ..........................................................................................33 2.1. The perception of Roma and spatial stigmatisation .......................................................33 The perception of Roma and the language of spatial stigmatisation ............................34 Abolishing stigmatised spaces: Slum transformation projects .....................................36 The story of a slum transformation project: Samsun 200 Evler .....................................38 Spatial stigmatisation and neighbourhood solidarity or (non)solidarity ........................44 2.2. Exclusion from economic life: Roma and the labor market .............................................49 Working poor ..................................................................................................................49 Heavy work conditions and health problems .................................................................57 Income uncertainty ........................................................................................................60 2.3. State and Roma citizens: Access to Services ..................................................................62 2.3.1. Education ....................................................................................................................62 Income inadequacy and disengagement from education ..............................................63 Exclusion at school and disengagement from education ...............................................65 Early marriage and disengagement from education ......................................................68 Lifestyle differences and disengagement from education .............................................68 The marketization of public education and its effects on Roma ....................................71 2.3.2. Health .........................................................................................................................72 2.3.3. Access to Social Assistance Schemes .........................................................................75