Identifying Cultural Strengths Of Afghan Refugees As A Source Of Their Resilience

This study examined the cultural resources of Afghan migrants and their relationship to the experience of resilience. The study explores the integration process of Afghan migrants as a way of gaining insight into their cultural values, beliefs and characteristics that play a role in facilitating their resilience. Participants in the study included six adult newcomer Afghans (1 Male and 5 Females) who have resided in Canada for over one year and under ten years. They were interviewed separately using open-ended in-depth interviews. The analysis of the interviews resulted in two core themes (1) Personal coping strategies and (2) Cultural resources as coping strategies. The results determined that Afghans utilize some aspects of cultural collectivity, as well as positive cultural values and characteristics when dealing with the adversities of settlement and adaptation.

Identifying Cultural Strengths Of Afghan Refugees As A Source Of Their Resilience

This study examined the cultural resources of Afghan migrants and their relationship to the experience of resilience. The study explores the integration process of Afghan migrants as a way of gaining insight into their cultural values, beliefs and characteristics that play a role in facilitating their resilience. Participants in the study included six adult newcomer Afghans (1 Male and 5 Females) who have resided in Canada for over one year and under ten years. They were interviewed separately using open-ended in-depth interviews. The analysis of the interviews resulted in two core themes (1) Personal coping strategies and (2) Cultural resources as coping strategies. The results determined that Afghans utilize some aspects of cultural collectivity, as well as positive cultural values and characteristics when dealing with the adversities of settlement and adaptation.

Afghan Migrants in Iran

For many decades Iran was a goal of economic emigration for Afghans. They could earn there a money to provide for their families at home. Since the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan in 1979 Iran also became a place of refuge for some 3 million Afghans. Their situation was changing according to the changes in internal and international position of Iran. Sometimes the Iranian authorities were sympathetic, other time were fiercely unsympathetic and keen to remove the Afghan “guests”. So, the Afghans in Iran could not be sure how long they would be allowed to stay there if the Iranians would be willing to support them and if they would have a work to provide for their families. This state of uncertainty of the Afghan community there was worsened by an outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bothe the Iranian and Afghan health care are unable to effectively deal with the problem. And an economic collapse in Iran affected primarily the foreigners there of whatever stance, in this particular case the Afghans.

“Pandemi Mevcut Sorunları Derinleştirdi” : İstanbul’da Kayıtdışı Afgan Göçmenler, Sağlık, Hastalık ve Kovid-19 Pandemisi

2020 yılında ortaya çıkan Kovid-19 pandemisi, dünyanın uzun salgın hastalıklar tarihinde yeni bir safhaya geçmesine yol açmıştır. Kovid-19 pandemisi, tarihteki diğer salgınlar gibi dezavantajlı olan grupların yaşamlarını daha olumsuz etkilemiştir. Bu makale, İstanbul’daki refakatsiz Afgan göçmen çocuklar ve kayıtdışı yetişkin Afgan göçmenlerin pandemi sürecinde daha fazla zorlaşan hayatları üzerine bir tartışma yürütmektedir. Makaleye kaynaklık eden veri İstanbul’da bulunan refakatsiz Afgan göçmen çocuklar ve kayıtdışı yetişkin erkek Afgan göçmenler üzerine beş yıldır (2015’ten 2020’e kadar) yürütülen boylamsal bir niteliksel araştırmaya dayanmaktadır. Makale, pandemi başlamadan önce de bu grubun hayati sağlık sorunlarıyla başa çıkmaya çalıştığını, göç sürecine ilişkin üç aşamayı ele alarak ortaya koymaktadır. Afganistan’daki sağlık sisteminin yetersizlikleri ve göç yolculuğunda ortaya çıkan yaralanmalar göçmenler için önemli sağlık sorunlarına yol açmaktadır. İstanbul’da özellikle ağır çalışma koşullarından kaynaklanan sağlık sorunları ve sağlık hizmetlerine erişimlerinin olmaması göçmenler için ölümcül sağlık sorunları yaratmaktadır. Kovid-19 pandemisi, Afgan göçmenlere yönelik sömürüyü, toplumsal eşitsizlikleri ve toplumsal dışlanmayı derinleştiren bir etki yaratmıştır. ABSTRACT IN ENGLISH “Pandemic Transformed the Existing Problems”: Undocumented Afghan Immigrants in Istanbul, Health, Disease and Kovid-19 Pandemic The Covid-19 pandemic, which emerged in 2020, opened a new phase in the world’s long history of the epidemics. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the lives of disadvantaged groups more negatively than other outbreaks in history. This article discusses the unaccompanied Afghan migrant minors and undocumented adult male Afghan migrants in Istanbul, whose lives have become more problematic during the days of pandemic. The source of the article is based on a longitudinal qualitative study on unaccompanied Afghan migrant minors and undocumented adult male Afghan migrants in Istanbul for five years (from 2015 to 2020). This article argues that before the start of the pandemic, this group has long tried to deal with vital health issues by addressing three stages of migration process. The inadequacies of the health system in Afghanistan and the injuries that occur during the migration journey cause important health problems for migrants. Health problems and lack of access to health services, especially from heavy working conditions in Istanbul, create fatal health problems for migrants. The Covid-19 pandemic has created an effect that deepens labour exploitation, social inequalities and social exclusion of Afghan migrants.

Afghan Migrants in Tehran

Persistent upheavals in Afghanistan since 1978 have resulted in the exodus of a large number of its citizens, with neighboring Iran and Pakistan becoming host to most of these forced migrations. According to Iran’s census figures, there were 1,452,513 documented Afghans living in the country in 2011. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has given a figure of 951,142 for documented Afghan refugees in Iran as of May 2015. In addition to this, UNHCR also reported 620,000 Afghan visa holders and from 1.5 to 2 million undocumented Afghans. The Iranian government has emphasized repatriation as a policy goal vis-à-vis Afghan migrants and has carried out voluntary return initiatives with the assistance of international organizations. However, the voluntary return of 902,000 Afghans from Iran between 2002 and 2012 appears to have been offset by fresh migration that has maintained their overall population in the country.

Why Turkey? Afghans heartwarming migrating destination

In the latest year, Turkey is the destination country for illegal Afghan migrants, as Directorate general of migration management of Turkey report shows that Afghanistan has a high number of the illegal migrants in Turkey in 2019. (7) This study concentrated to determine the factors associated with the area of destination (pulling factors), social demography of immigrants, income comparison, satisfaction, and re-integration of Afghan illegal migrants in Turkey in the last five years. The data collected by a well-structured questionnaire and applied to 384 illegal Afghan immigrants in Turkey (Istanbul, & Ankara) during June, 2019. The finding shows that Security 9.14, rights (women rights 8.52, human rights 8.43) and desire of having more regular life are the main reasons that attracts migrants. Dis-satisfaction of being in Turkey and being dis-agree to re-integrate back to Afghanistan is the finding of this research.

The relationship between perceived causes of depression and desire for social distance in Farsi-speaking migrants and refugees from Iran and Afghanistan living in Germany

Purpose An increasing number of migrants and refugees seeking asylum in Germany is challenging psychiatrists and psychotherapists in multiple ways. Different cultural belief systems on the causes of mental illness and their treatment have to be taken into consideration. The purpose of this study is to explore perceived causes of depression among Farsi-speaking migrants and refugees from Afghanistan and Iran, which represent two groups with a shared cultural heritage, but originating from very different regimes of mobility. Both are among the largest migrant groups coming to Germany over the past decade. Design/methodology/approach In total, 50 Iranian and 50 Afghan migrants and refugees, who arrived in Germany in the past 10 years were interviewed, using an unlabeled vignette presenting signs and symptoms of depression. The answers were then coded through inductive content analysis. Findings Among Iranians, there was a more significant number of causal attribution to Western psychiatric concepts, whereas Afghans attributed depression more often to the experience of being a refugee without referring to psychological concepts. These differences in attribution did, however, not affect the desire for a social distance toward depressed people. Nonetheless, a higher number of years spent in Germany was associated with less desire for social distance toward persons with depression among Afghans, but not among Iranians. Originality/value To the best of the knowledge, this is the first study examining perceived causes of depression with Farsi-speaking migrants in Germany and contributes to understanding tendencies in the perception of depression in non-Western migrant groups.