Official Turkish statistics show that 311,000 stateless Syrian babies have been born in Turkey since the start of the crisis in 2011, local media reported on Friday.
“The fact that these children are stateless is a humanitarian crisis,” commented Atay Uslu, the head of the Turkish Parliament’s Refugee Subcommittee. “I think they should be granted citizenship immediately.” Calls have been made by human rights officials for the Syrian children born in Turkey to be given Turkish citizenship.
In a related matter, an official with Turkey’s National Disaster Management Agency, Erkan Doğanay, revealed that 293 out of the 4,514 Syrian children who are in the care of the Turkish authorities have lost both parents; 410 have lost their mother; and 3,911 have lost their father.
According to the General Directorate of Civil Registration and Nationality, 55,583 Syrians, including 25,500 children, have already been granted Turkish citizenship.
There are currently approximately 3.5 million Syrian refugees under temporary protection in Turkey.
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