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PN 275
Social Impact of Syrian Female Migration on Turkey: Media Portrayal of Co-wives
T. Atay-Avşar
1
, A. Sarisakaloglu
2
1
Mustafa Kemal University, Antakya, Hatay, Turkey
2
Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey
As the Syrian Crisis continues its descent into a protracted civil war, its humanitarian and political dimensions remain the subject of specific attention,
especially as concerns the massive displacement of Syrian citizens. However, studies have not adequately addressed the impact of this exodus on Syrian
women in particular and the cultural and social problems they face as they flee the internal turmoil. This paper examines the extent of media coverage
of the issue of Syrian women and young girls taking refuge in Turkey since 2011 becoming co-wives in their new host country. Informed by cultural identity
and feminist theories, the paper engages in a quantitative and qualitative content analysis of news items in local, mainstream and international coverage
of the issue and how women are (mis)represented. We argue that while women are already victims of a forced migration, their injustice is doubled with
the co-wife institution and that the media portrayal of their predicament only serves to victimise women a third time, thus deepening the existing problem.
Our findings suggest that while coverage in the international media reflect the victimization of women in terms of polygamous unions, there is very limited
coverage at the local and mainstream level. We will juxtapose local and national media coverage with coverage in the international media in order to reveal
what meanings are produced and reproduced by the visibility or invisibility of such news items.
PN 276
The Discrimination of Syrian DomWomen Refugees in Turkey: The Role of Media
K.V. Tarlan
1
1
European Sociological Association, Gaziantep, Turkey
Issue/Problem: Following the outbreak of the conflict in Syria in 2011 According to Turkish authorities as of March 2016, the total number is estimated to
have reached 3 million. The term DomisusedtorefertoanethnicminoritygroupintheMiddleEastGypsies. AmongtheSyrian refugees are lesser-known groups,
including the Dom Gypsies, an ethnic minority group in Syria and neighbouring countries. Research has established that Dom people form a distinct linguis‑
tic group originating from India, the Dom are now predominantly sedentary living across the Middle East. Dom people have been subject to decades-long
discrimination and marginalisation due to their ethnic identity and lifestyle, both in Syria and across the rest of the region. Having sought refuge in neigh‑
bouring countries following the conflict, Dom people face double discrimination due to their ethnic identity and their refugee status. There are thousands
of Dom refugees from Syria in Turkey. Syrian refugee women experience further difficulties due to their financial dependency, war trauma, including losing
their husbands, the responsibility of having to look after large families and reproductive health problems including complications during pregnancy and
after childbirth. They often live in isolation from the host community due to language barriers. There are reports of sexual exploitation of women and
child marriages and of Syrian women entering local households as second or third wife. While marriage was an option to have stability and protection for
some Syrian women, their dependency and lack of awareness on their rights and existing services often make them vulnerable to sexual exploitation and
domestic violence. Description: Domwomen and Dom refugees inTurkey live in destitution often facing discrimination the authorities, the host community,
and other Syrian refugees. They live in substandard and unsuitable accommodation, which hardly meet minimum hygiene and sanitation standards. Due
to irregular employment and low wages, they cannot meet their basic needs including food and nutrition. While they can benefit from free emergency and
primary healthcare service, they face difficulties in accessing other health services due to discrimination, language barriers, financial difficulties and their
lack of knowledge on the health system and their rights guaranteed by the temporary protection regime. The majority of the Syrian refugees face similar
problems and barriers in accessing their social and economic rights. However due to predating discrimination and prejudices against Dom the difficulties
facing them are exacerbated. They have become the scapegoats of the increasing discrimination against Syrian refugees. This has been further reinforced
by the reporting of the mainstream media, which portrayed these groups as“Syrian beggars”and“Syrian Gypsies”and presented their desperate situation
caused by the conflict as their lifestyle.
PN 277
The (In)Visible Half: Migrant Women and the Material Force of Categories
V. Vendramin
1
1
Educational Research Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
The general aim of the contribution is to provide conceptual tools to unsettle some of the existing frameworks of thought as regards the (re)presentation
of migrations with special emphasis on gender/migrant women. Feminist epistemology is of help here as it offers the reflection on the subject and object
of knowledge and puts stress on the non-innocence of knowledge claims. Furthermore, it stresses epistemic responsibility and sheds light on the margin‑
alized subjects divested of the status of those who know (inappropriate/d others; Trinh Minh-ha, 2009). Second, starting from this background, the article
with the help of discursive analysis of chosen examples from media reports and representations warns about the material force of categories, i. e. the mi‑
grants presented as homogenous category, more often than not without any specificities, let alone taking account of the marginalizations that are of inter‑
sectional character. The material force of such “blindness”to gendered dimension, which is of primary interest here, is strong. Ignorance (another concept
of feminist epistemology) is not a lack but a substantive epistemic practice (and not a neglectful epistemic practice) that differentiates the dominant group
(Alcoff, 2007). The authors suggest that it is necessary to question the constructions of migrations connected to gender (and other determinants along
social axes) ..., make a shift away from the positivist and masculinist epistemologies and hence form generalizations that need to be fought with, as they
are hegemonic and lead to multiple marginalizations of those who are neither heard nor seen.