ReliefWeb

Highlights

• The number of refugee children enrolled in schools continued to increase in November from over 640,000 to over 650,000 as a result of ongoing efforts and outreach by the Ministry of National Education and UNICEF.

• UNICEF completed the distribution of school bags and stationery kits to vulnerable students in over 20 provinces, reaching over 800,000 since the start of the school year in September.

• Almost 41,500 people accessed community-based child protection services in over 60 UNICEF-supported centres and spaces across Turkey, including nearly 700 children identified as on the move.

• Nearly 315,000 refugee children received a Conditional Cash Transfer for Education (CCTE) payment in November, including 361 out-of-school children enrolled in the Accelerated Learning Programme.

• UNICEF Turkey is 69% funded under the 2018 3RP appeal. However, US $6.8 million in funding is urgently required in education, child protection and adolescent/youth engagement

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

In November, Turkey remained home to nearly 4 million registered refugees and asylum seekers, including over 1.7 million children – the largest refugee population in the world. Over 3.6 million Syrians – of whom over 1.6 million are children – live in Turkey alongside more than 360,000 nationals primarily from Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, of whom almost 120,000 are children.

In addition, Turkey continues to serve as a transit country for unregistered refugees and migrants on the move, many of them seeking greater economic or political opportunities. Less than 2,100 people made the journey from Turkey to Greece by sea in November, a 49% decrease compared to the previous month – and an additional 2,545 people were rescued or intercepted by Turkish authorities at sea and on land. Though comprehensive data remains scarce, anecdotal observations indicate the sharp decrease in irregular migration is due to colder weather and rougher seas. Meanwhile, under the framework of the EU-Turkey Statement, three rounds of re-admissions from Greece to Turkey took place for 41 people bringing the total number of returns since March 2016 stands to 1,821.