As Refugee Rights Türkiye (RRT), we organized a seminar on “The Administrative Detention of Asylum-Seeking and Migrant Children in International Law and National Legislation” in Istanbul on February 22-23, 2025. The event brought together more than forty lawyers from twenty different bar associations and civil society organizations to discuss the legal framework, international standards, and challenges encountered in the field regarding the administrative detention of asylum-seeking and migrant children. The first day of the two-day seminar featured presentations on “The Administrative Detention of Children in Light of International Conventions and Flexible Legal Norms: Standards and Safeguards”, “Administrative Detention in International Legislation: Procedures, Legal Safeguards, and Remedies for Children”, and “Ethical Considerations in Working with Migrant and Asylum-Seeking Children”. A discussion

As the Refugee Rights Türkiye, we took an important step towards fostering a shared philosophy of coexistence based on tolerance and awareness of both individual and collective rights. In collaboration with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Directorate of Women and Family Services, we organized legal group information seminars for both Turkish citizens and refugee clients at the IMM-affiliated Mahalle Evleri (Neighborhood Houses). Launched in September 2024, these seminars were held once a month at the Zafer, Örnektepe, Sulukule, and Cibali Neighborhood Houses until January 2025. Our protection officers and lawyers provided participants with key insights into fundamental rights, legal obligations, and mechanisms for resolving common legal issues. Additionally, they addressed questions from participants, offering guidance and support. We are committed

As part of our collaboration with the European Network on Statelessness (ENS), an expert organization dedicated to the issue of statelessness, Refugee Rights Türkiye is hosting a webinar to examine the risk of child statelessness in the context of migration, from an international law perspective. The seminar will be held on Friday, December 13, 2024 between 13.30-14.30. The seminar will focus on childhood statelessness, a pressing issue affecting millions of children globally, particularly those born to refugees in host countries. Cameron Nye, Legal Policy Officer at the European Network on Statelessness (ENS), will outline the international legal framework addressing the risk of childhood statelessness in migration contexts, highlight international standards for its prevention, and present examples of effective solutions adopted in European

As Refugee Rights Turkey, we organized a seminar titled “Rights of Asylum Seekers Seeking Protection in Türkiye in the Light of Judicial Decisions” in cooperation with Ankara Bar Association’s Refugee Rights Center on 8 June 2024 at the Ankara Bar Association’s Training Center. The seminar was held with the participation and valuable contributions of the Ankara-registered lawyers, members of the Ankara Bar Association’s Refugee Rights Center and academics, and presented by the lawyers from Refugee Rights Turkey. During the sessions titled respectively as the “Temporary Protection in the Light of Judicial Decisions”, “International Protection in the Light of Judicial Decisions”, “Deportation Procedures in the Light of Judicial Decisions”, “Administrative Detention and Alternative Measures in the Light of Judicial Decisions”, the

Refugee Rights Turkey attended a seminar titled “Refugee Law and International Protection” on 25-26 May at Kahramanmaraş upon the invitation of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in cooperation with Kahramanmaraş Bar Association. The seminar started with the registration session with the participation of lawyers who are registered to Kahramanmaraş Bar Association. Afterwards, sessions titled “Basic Principles of International Refugee Law and Types of Protection under the Law on Foreigners and International Protection” and “Temporary Protection Procedures under the Temporary Protection Regulation” were presented by the DRC lawyers. The last sessions of the first day titled “Temporary Protection Procedures and Appeal Procedures under the Temporary Protection Regulation”, “Deportation, Detention Codes and Invitation to Leave the Country” and “Administrative Detention, Alternative Obligations

As Refugee Rights Turkey, we held a seminar titled “Rights and Guarantees Provided to Asylum Seekers in Türkiye within the Framework of the Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection” on 18 May 2024 in cooperation with Kırklareli Bar Association at the Kırklareli Bar Association Conference Hall. The seminar started with the registration session with the participation of the Kırklareli Bar Association lawyers, trainee lawyers and academicians from Kırklareli University. Three sessions titled “International Protection Procedures and Appeal Procedures”, “Deportation Procedures and Appeal Procedures” and “Administrative Detention and Alternative Obligations and Appeal Procedures” were held respectively. At the end of each session, the topics were reinforced with case studies. Some of the most frequently asked questions were on the

As Refugee Rights Turkey, we held a seminar titled “Rights and Guarantees Provided to Persons Seeking Protection in Türkiye within the Framework of the Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection” on 17 May 2024 in cooperation with Welthungerhilfe and Adıyaman Bar Association at Adiyaman Dedeman Hotel. The seminar started with the registration session with the participation of lawyers who are registered to Adıyaman Bar Association. Afterwards, “Temporary Protection Procedures, Appeal Procedures, and Case Studies”, “Deportation Procedures, Appeal Procedures and Case Studies”, and “Administrative Detention and Alternative Obligations, Appeal Procedures, and Case Studies” were discussed in separate presentations respectively. Some of the most frequently asked questions were about the access to the temporary protection registration procedures, temporary accommodation centers

Refugee Rights Turkey (RRT), with the support of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), launched a new 11-month project on 1 May 2024. The project aims to support access to legal assistance for refugees and vulnerable migrants in administrative detention in Istanbul and to carry out capacity-building activities for lawyers and civil society workers. It is also planned to create an online and printed resource compiling the legislation and case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on administrative detention of children, which will be disseminated to stakeholders such as international organizations, national and global civil society organizations, and human rights defender organizations. Once again, we thank the British authorities for their support.

As Refugee Rights Turkey, we organized a specialization seminar titled “Rights of the Asylum Seekers that Seeking Protection in Türkiye in the Light of the Judicial Decisions” in Istanbul on 1-2 March 2024. Over 40 representatives from 21 different bar associations and 8 different institutions in Türkiye had attended the seminar. First day of the seminar had started with registration and opening speeches, and we had the opportunity to examine the selection of court decisions on child protection, international protection, temporary protection, deportation, and administrative detention in the context of asylum law, with the sessions titled ” Unaccompanied Minors’ Access to Justice and the Judicial Decisions”, “International Protection in the Light of the Judicial Decisions”, “Temporary Protection in the Light

On Saturday 17 February 2024, Refugee Rights Turkey organized a specialization seminar titled “Administrative Detention and Alternatives to Administrative Detention: National and International Regulations and Appeal Procedures”. Over thirty-five lawyers from ten different institutions in Istanbul attended the seminar. The event started with the registration and opening speeches. In the first session titled “Administrative Detention Measures: International Standards, National Legislation & Appeal Procedures”, the concept of “administrative detention”, international standards pertaining to the issue and the appeal procedures under the Law on Foreigners and International Protection” were discussed and our Administrative Detention Hotline (+90 507 218 62 85) was shared with the participants. Observations from the field, good practices, and difficulties encountered were expressed by the participants. In the second

The first session started with introductions and the activities of the Refugee Rights Turkey, followed by the second session titled “The Role of Translation in the Field of Migration and Asylum”. In this session, the importance and difficulties of interpreting in civil society organizations, some important definitions in the legislation, the importance of interpreting in interviews, and the legal responsibilities of interpreters were discussed, and the participants had the opportunity to share their experiences in the field. In the session titled “Overcoming the Ethical and Technical Challenges of Interpreting for Refugees”, Dr. Jonathan Ross from the Department of Translation and Interpreting at Boğaziçi University talked about the definition of community interpreting, its challenges, ethical values, examples from Turkey and the

As Refugee Rights Turkey, we organized a two-session seminar for both the staff and the beneficiaries of Lider Women’s Association at the headquarters of Lider Women’s Association in Mardin. Experts from different fields such as caseworkers, social cohesion officers, psychologists from Lider Women’s Association’s Diyarbakır office, and Syrian beneficiaries of the association participated in the seminar. At the end of each session, frequently encountered questions such as obtaining a travel permit, the obligation to reside in the registration province, and the re-registration procedures for people who come back/return to Turkey after being deported to their country of origin were discussed. The aim of the seminar organized with Lider Kadın Derneği was to compare the common practices encountered in Istanbul, Mardin,