Needs Assessment of Syrian Women and Girls Under Temporary Protection Status in Turkey

UN Women and Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Immigrants (ASAM) undertook a comprehensive needs assessment of Syrian women with the aim of gathering information on the needs of refugee women and girls, the challenges they are facing to access services and identifying areas that need improvement. The research, funded by the Government of Iceland, showed that the main problems that Syrian women face are access to better housing conditions, language and access to employment opportunities. The data are based on structured and in-depth interviews with 1291 Syrian women and girls across seven cities.

Main findings of the need assessment;

• Language barrier is a major obstacle that stands in the way of Syrian women to access rights and services.
• Housing is one of the main problems.
• 87% of Syrian women claimed that they feel safe at home, and 73% feel safe in their neighborhood.
• Only 15% of women work in income-generating jobs.
• 73% do not know where to seek assistance related to violence or harassment.
• 74% do not know where to seek assistance for their children.
• Syrian women are unaware of various support services: 68% do not know about free legal counselling; 63% about home care, 59% about psychosocial support and 57% about childcare services.
• Syrian women in Turkey appear particularly satisfied with their access to medical services. 86% report being able to access free primary health care in the cities where they live.