IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – At the main square on the road linking the town of Sarmada and Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, north of Idlib in northwestern Syria, Ali sits with other young men awaiting anybody that could call him to carry furniture or any other kind of a job that could make him earn a living.
Ali al-Muhammad, 33, who was forcibly deported with his family three months ago from Turkey to Idlib, said that he usually return to his tent empty handed owing to lacks of job opportunities.
Nearly a year and a half ago, Turkey has been working to deport Syrians from its soil to areas under the control of armed opposition factions, known as Syrian National Army (SNA), and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS – formerly al-Nusra Front) in the countryside of Idlib and Aleppo in northwest Syria.
Since January 2022, nearly 14.870 people have been deported from Turkey through Bab al-Hawa to Idlib, according to an exclusive data obtained by North Press from the management of the border crossing.
Al-Muhammad, an IDP from the city of Rastan, north of Homs, indicated that he had never imagined his status would worsen after being deported from Turkey. Al-Muhammad shared a house with another man deported with him for nearly a month ago before securing a tent in a camp close to Sarmada.
He entered Turkey illegally in 2018 along with his wife and child and settled in the city of Mersin. Early in July, he found a job in Istanbul. On his way to the city, he was stopped by the Turkish police. All Syrian passengers onboard the bus were all deported to Idlib. Al-Muhammad along with his four-membered family found himself in Idlib too.
Arbitrary deportation
Turkey seeks to deport all Syrians by 2023 according to a pledge recently made by Turkish Minister of Family and Social Services Derya Yanik.
According to Syrian refugees living in Turkey, even families that have temporary protection cards are deported not to mention harassment they face in works and moving from province to another.
In a report published a week ago, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Turkish authorities arbitrarily arrested detained and deported hundreds of Syrian refugees to Syria in the second half of 2022.
The HRW quoted tens of deportees or those threatened with deportation as saying Turkish officials arrested them at home, work places and in streets and detained them in dire conditions where they were beaten and maltreated. Detainees were forced to put their signature onto documents under voluntary return and return under the force of arms.
Yassin al-Kharboutli, 28, shares the same plight of al-Muhammad since he was deported to Idlib early in October. He has not found a job yet to earn a living.
Al-Kharboutli, who resides right now with a number of young men deported from in an unfurnished house in the city of Idlib, said “Any job here does not exceed 50 Turkish liras as maximum. This could hardly suffice a person alone. There are no permanent jobs. In a week, we could just work one day.”
Limited options
Unemployment rates reach 89% according to data provided by Humanitarian Response, an organization active in SNA-held areas.
In February, the team released a questionnaire in which it indicated job opportunities cannot be obtained at an early age. The unemployment rates among those under 25 are 85% compared to 50% among those above 35.
Regarding gender, 35% men are having jobs compared to 17% women notably adding that such a rate cannot reflect the situation in general, according to the questionnaire.
Daily workers earn less than %55 per month which runs below the average in Syria that reaches %63, according to Coordination Office of the Humanitarian Issues.
Nawras Suleiman, 38, an IDP from south of Idlib, works in collecting plastic, juice bottles made of aluminum. Suleiman spent a month and a half in different jobs whose daily earning did not exceed 40 Turkish liras.
Suleiman, who resides in the Ata camp in Atmeh, north of Idlib, along with his four-membered family, earns nearly 70 Turkish liras as he told North Press.
Suleiman added that after he was deported from Turkey in late month of Ramadan, he spared no efforts in looking for a permanent job however to no avail, “So I have decided to collect plastic and aluminum spares although it is a demonizing arena of a work.”