Ankara-based Kaos GL LGBTI Association has published its report “Turkey’s Challenge with LGBTI Refugees”. The report aims to document the obstacles faced by LGBTI refugees in Turkey based on the availability of fundamental rights and services as well as the discrimination and violence they encounter in various areas and in social life. The report has been dedicated to the memory of Muhammad Wisam Sankari, a Syrian gay refugee who was killed in İstanbul in 2016.
As summarized by online newspaper Bianet,
- 8 percent of LGBTI refugees participating in the research stated that they were asked questions about “whether being married and with family” in renting a house,
- The attitude of house owners towards refugees takes a xenophobic tone,
- Among the LGBTI refugees participating in the research, 38 participants stated that they had problems in renting a house,
- 34 percent of them stated that they were refused for being a foreigner while renting a house,
- 25 percent of them stated that they faced fraud by house owner/real estate agent.
- Those who managed to rent a house indicated that people intervened in their private lives.
Published with the support of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), “Turkey’s Challenge with LGBTI Refugees” – the full report can be reached online.
Published by Kaos GL within the scope of Monitoring Human Rights of LGBTIs Project, “Waiting To Be ‘Safe And Sound’: Turkey As LGBTI Refugees’ Way Station” report can be reached online.