Turkey

Victim Assistance

Last updated: 09 November 2018

Victim assistance action points

  • Increase coordination of victim assistance obligations with the input of the General Directorate of Services for the Disabled and Elderly in the Ministry of Family and Social Policies.
  • Develop a plan and coordinate implementation of victim assistance in accordance with Mine Ban Treaty Maputo Action Plan commitments.
  • Make adequate prosthetic and rehabilitation facilities a priority in the mine-affected regions.

Victim assistance planning and coordination

Government focal points

Disabled and Senior Citizens Directorate General, Ministry of Family and Social Policies and the Turkish Mine Action Center (TURMAC)

Coordination mechanism

TURMAC meetings with relevant actors as necessary

Coordination regularity/frequency and outcomes/effectiveness

TURMAC planned that necessary coordination will be held with the relevant bodies “so that every mine victim may attain their legal rights”[1]

Plans/strategies

None reported

Disability sector integration

The Ministry of Family and Social Policies through its Disabled and Senior Citizens Directorate General is the government entity responsible for protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, including mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW)survivors and family members of casualties[2]

Survivor inclusion and participation

Survivors were not reported to have been included in the planning or implementation of services

Reporting

Statement, Mine Ban Treaty Intersessional Meetings, 7 June 2017
Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 reporting on victim assistance (Form H),updated for calendar year 2017

 

International commitments and obligations

Turkey is responsible for landmine and ERW survivors. Past Monitor reporting, found that more than 5,000 people were reported to have been injured by mines in Turkey since 1984.[3] In 2017, TURMAC stated that existing records indicated that there had been some 4,000 landmine casualties in Turkey[4]

Mine Ban Treaty

Yes

Convention on Cluster Munitions

No

Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) Protocol V

No

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

Yes

 

Laws and policies

In the Republic of Turkey, the law prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities and the constitution permits “positive discrimination” favoring them. NGOs that advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities reported that the laws were not enforced effectively.[5]

Accessibility of public services and buildings for persons with disabilities remained extremely limited.[6]

The Ministry of Family and Social Policies operated social service centers assisting vulnerable individuals, including persons with disabilities.[7] All public schools are required by law to accommodate students with disabilities, although disability rights activists reported that a large number of school-age children with disabilities did not receive adequate access to education.[8] Turkey had no mental health laws.[9]

The public sector’s employment rate for persons with disabilities remained well below its commitments 3% commitment.[10]

Major Developments in 2017–2018

In the context of the ongoing conflict in Syria, the influx of refugees coming into Turkey has continued to strain the national healthcare system,[11] especially in the provinces hosting the largest number of refugees: Șanliıurfa, Gaziantep, Hatay, Istanbul, Mersin, and Adana.[12]

A new data collection mechanism was established for victims of mine/ERW incidents who are taken to hospital with the Ministry of Health’s module for civilian casualties, the “Health Management System.” The system was designed for improved monitoring and assistance to mine victims.[13]

Needs assessment

National NGO the Initiative for a Mine-Free Turkey (IMFT) continued to collect information available on survivors and persons killed through media scanning and crosschecking with other organizations and local sources.

Turkey reported that efforts were being made to create a “shared database specifically designed for mine victims.”[14] Since 2016, the Ministry of Interior, through the gendarmerie and national police, updates TURMAC on the details of incidents and casualties in the areas under their responsibilitywithin a month of each mine/ERW incident, while the General Staff, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Family and Social Policies and other relevant ministries and bodies report quarterly on changes to personal data and health status of mine victims. Persons considered official mine victims according to the legislation were to be assisted to attain their legal rights in coordination with the other relevant bodies.[15]

Medical care and rehabilitation

Generally, healthcare facilities in towns in the mine-affected regions (other than the largest cities) have been underfunded, had inadequate staffing levels and equipment, and often were not able to address survivors’ emergencies or ongoing medical needs.[16] Emergency services are free-of-charge for all citizens in both public and private hospitals.[17] Access to healthcare services remained challenging for persons with disabilities.[18]

Mine/ERW victims who are unable to perform daily activities without assistance receive support for obtaining medicine and medical equipment at no additional cost.[19]

All persons with disabilities have the right to access the free first-aid services at public and private healthcare centers. According to the General Health Insurance system, payment of premiums based on income-level is required. General Health Insurance premiums for people in need are covered by state funding.[20]

There was a significant need for prosthetics and rehabilitation services to be established in other mine/ERW-affected provinces. The General Health Insurance system provides orthosis, prosthetics, and wheelchairs; however, the provision of these assistive devices is time-bound and limited to one new fitting every five years.[21]

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion

No specific economic inclusion or work programs existed for mine/ERW victims, however, some broader services exist that provide mine/ERW survivors and affected families with monthly payments, employment opportunities, enterprising grant, free job counselling, and courses according to their specific needs.[22]

Mine survivors took part in activities organized by the Sports Federation for the Disabled and the Veterans Physical Treatment, Education and Research Center.[23]

There is a lack of quantitative and aggregated data on the participation of persons with disabilities in economic and social life.[24]

Cross-cutting

In 2017, the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) opened three High Technology Prosthetic Orthotics Centers in Istanbul, Şanlıurfa, and Hatay. The centers provided physical rehabilitation services to Syrian refugees, free of charge.[25] As of June 2018, 275 prostheses were provided by the centers.[26] The centers also provided psychological support to patients.[27]

The World Health Organization (WHO) supported Turkish health authorities providing access to health services to Syrian refugees.[28] The WHO trained Syrian refugees in providing health services to fellow Syrian refugees in Turkey.[29] It also trained Turkish and Syrian health workers in mental health and psychosocial support to serve refugees and host communities.[30]

Victim assistance providers and activities

Name of organization

Type of activity

Government

General Health Insurance system

Provides orthosis, prosthetics, and wheelchairs

Gulhane Military Medical Academy and the Turkish Armed Forces Rehabilitation and Care Center (TAF-RCC)

Specialized facilities assist people wounded by weapons with high-quality services: rehabilitation, economic and social inclusion, and psychological support

National

Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH)

Physical rehabilitation, including 3D printed prosthetic and orthotic devices,[31] psychological support[32] for Syrian refugees

International

IMFT

Advocacy and assistance to individual survivors and peer support

 

 


[1] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2017), Form H.

[2] United States (US) Department of State, “2017 Human Rights Report: Turkey,” Washington, DC, 20 April 2018; and interview with Gazi Alatas, Ministry of Family and Social Policy, 4 March 2013.

[3] Melik Duvaklı, “Türkiye, 26 yılda 1.269 canını mayına kurban verdi” (“Turkey, in 26 years 1,269 lives victimized by mines”), Zaman, 13 April 2010; and Monitor reporting.

[4] Interview with Lt. Col. Halil Şen, TURMAC, in Geneva, 8 February 2017.

[5] US Department of State, “2017 Human Rights Report: Turkey,” Washington, DC, 20 April 2018.

[7] US Department of State, “2017 Human Rights Report: Turkey,” Washington, DC, 20 April 2018.

[8] Ibid.

[10] Ibid., p. 20.

[12] Ibid., p. 17.

[13] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2017), Form H.

[14] Statement of Turkey, Mine Ban Treaty Intersessional Meetings, Geneva, 7 June 2018; and Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2017), Form H.

[15] Statement of Turkey, Mine Ban Treaty Intersessional Meetings, Geneva, 7 June 2018; and Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2017), Form H.

[16] See previous victim assistance profiles for Turkey.

[17]The politics of healthcare in Turkey,” Hurriyet Daily News, undated.

[19] Statement of Turkey, Mine Ban Treaty Intersessional Meetings, Geneva, 7 June 2018; and Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2017), Form H.

[21] Email from Muteber Öğreten, IMFT, 17 May 2016.

[22] Statement of Turkey, Mine Ban Treaty Intersessional Meetings, Geneva, 7 June 2018; and Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2017), Form H.

[23] Ibid.

[25] IHH, “Syria activity Report 2012-2018,” Istanbul, July 2018, p. 30; and “Syrian refugees get prosthetic limbs in Turkey,” Hurriyet Daily News, 31 October 2017.

[26] IHH, “Syria activity Report 2012–2018,” Istanbul, July 2018, p. 30

[27] IHH, “Victims of war are given prosthetic limbs,” 6 November 2017.

[29] Ibid., p. 5.

[30] Ibid., pp. 46–47.

[31] IHH, “Syria activity Report 2012–2018,” Istanbul, July 2018, p. 30; and “Syrian refugees get prosthetic limbs in Turkey,” Hurriyet Daily News, 31 October 2017.

[32] IHH, “Victims of war are given prosthetic limbs,” 6 November 2017.