Syrian refugees in Turkey 'exploited by landlords'
Mark Lowen visited a shop in a poor neighbourhood in Istanbul, Turkey where 15 Syrian refugees are living in a few square metres, for which they pay 100 lira a day, about £30.
Correspondent Mark Lowen visited a shop in a poor neighbourhood in Istanbul, Turkey where 15 Syrian refugees are living in a few square metres, for which they pay 100 lira a day, which is about £30.
“You get a sense that those in dire need are being exploited by landlords here,” said Mark Lowen.
There are about 1m Syrian refugees in Turkey, say the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Some are living in camps but others are in big cities such as Istanbul in private accommodation.
“We never in our lives have begged for money but now we are forced to do that, and then the police come at the end of the day and capture us, put us in prison and take our money, we can’t buy food”, said one refugee.
Mark Lowen also spoke to Turkish shopkeepers about tension in the area between Turkish and Syrian communities:
“We don’t want them, we don’t want any more Syrians, this place is at full capacity, landlords have started kicking out Turkish tenants because they get more money from Syrians, but the lifestyle of refugees is not acceptable, it has become a slum here.”
This clip is from 5 live on 12 November 2014, as part of the ѿý's Syria's War coverage.
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Syria's War: Refugees' stories
There are 3.2m Syrian refugees, say UNHCR. We hear stories from Turkey, Lebanon and UK.
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