The tragedy of irregular migration: the case of Afghans in Turkey

ABSTRACT

This paper analyses irregular Afghan migrants in Turkey based on a qualitative field research study conducted in the cities of Ankara, Bursa, Malatya, Kayseri and Istanbul (see Note 1 on use of the term ‘Afghan’). It focuses on their migration journey, the factors driving migration and post-migration challenges. This research seeks to answer why Afghan irregular migrants are mainly male adults and how the employers in Turkey treat them. Afghan migrants in Turkey are mainly unskilled members of the labour force, typically working in construction, in supermarkets, as shepherds and in kitchens. This study argues that Afghan migration motives are mainly driven by humanitarian and economic deprivation. However, when they arrive in Turkey, migrants have no legal protection and are thrown into despair by their employers’ mistreatment.

KEYWORDS:

• irregular migration
• labour force
• migration push and pull factors
• Afghanistan
• Turkey

Acknowledgements

I thank Dr Ömer Taşgetiren, for his invaluable feedback. I also thank the editor Professor Rico Isaacs, the two anonymous reviewers and Catherine Bentley of the Editorial Office. Finally, I thank the research participant migrants for their bravery and time.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 The generalization of ‘Afghans’ as a reference to the residents of Afghanistan is a contested referral. The term ‘Afghan’ is synonymous with ‘Pashtun’, which is the current majority ethnic group in Afghanistan. Hence, the generalization of population under the ‘Afghan’ banner is perceived as an acculturation of Pashtun identity to a mass of diverse ethnic groups inhabiting in the country (Dupree 1980; Rubin 2020; Shahrani 2002; Thier 1999). Since the extant literature on Afghanistan is written as ‘Afghans’, the same understanding is followed here to avoid confusion.

2 For the other side of gender equality, see Moghadam (1992) and Tapper (1991).

3 Havale is an informal popular money transfer system that functions based on mutual connections between the sender and the receiver.

Additional information

Funding

This study was not funded by any party or agency. Every piece of information was collected through the author’s personal effort to contribute to the irregular migrations extant literature.