Study on Racism and Racist Discourse African Students Experience in Turkey

Friends of All Africa Association published the information note on “The Results of the Survey Study on Racism and Racist Discourse African Students Experience in Turkey” with the support of Etkiniz.

Below you can read the executive summary of the report, originally published in Turkish:

This information note contains data collected by the Association of the Friends of Africa [Tüm Afrika’nın Dostları Derneği – TADD].

The aim of the monitoring study is to detect and report the racism, racist discourse and discriminatory treatment African university students experience during the period they live and study in Turkey.

The target group of the survey is African students studying in Turkey. TADD contacted 42 students from 15 different countries, among whom 9 were female and 33 were male. The method for the monitoring study is contacting students to answer online survey questions, screening international standards through a desk-based study and analysing and reporting survey questions. The surveys could not be carried out face-to-face due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and were instead conducted online. Within this framework, students were asked 20 questions on racism, racist discourse and discriminatory treatment they experienced in education, housing/accommodation, public transport, social media, social life and friendships. The link to the online survey was sent to African students, who were in contact with TADD and who study in Turkey, through the WhatsApp application. The survey was available online between October 2nd and October 24th. The answers to the survey were accessed through the SurveyMonkey website.

The standards of the monitoring study were based on the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

The findings of the survey study are as follows: Students were observed to face racial discrimination, exclusion and obstacles based on race, colour and ethnicity in housing, the university environment, social life, social media and public transport. 34 students responded ‘no’ to the question “Have you ever experienced unequal treatment from other students due to being African at the university?” Some students who participated in the survey stated that they experienced racism in daily life due to a variety of reasons, and this experience made their lives in Turkey more difficult. 23 students responded ‘yes’ to the question “Have you ever experienced an uncomfortable situation in public transport due to being African?”. 7 students responded ‘yes’ to the question “Have you ever experienced cyber-bullying on social media platforms due to being African?” 7 students responded ‘yes’ to the question “Have you ever experienced a situation where the family of a friend did not allow your friendship due to your being African?” 21 out of 40 students responded ‘yes’ to the question “Do you think the general public in Turkey has a bias against Africans?” 34 of 42 students responded the question “Where or in which field do you think you experience the most maltreatment due to being African” and 69 different options were ticked off. 15 students stated that they experienced problems in more than one field. 62 per cent of the participants expressed mistreatment in social and daily life, 50 per cent in housing and accommodation, 29 per cent in healthcare services, 24 per cent in education life and university, 21 per cent in public services and 18 per cent in friendship and peer relations. The 17th question in the survey was a multiple choice question which asked “Which of the following have you experienced at least once in Turkey due to being African?” 19 students stated that they have experienced racist discourse, hate speech and verbal abuse at least once; 19 students stated they have experienced discrimination based on ethnicity, colour and race; 5 students stated they have suffered from threatening comments or clear threats; 7 students stated they have suffered from aggressive behaviour; 13 students stated they have experienced social exclusion and alienation; 22 students stated they have been exposed to inappropriate and disturbing stares; 5 students stated they have experienced cyber-bullying (threatening, abusive e-mails and WhatsApp messages, social media output, online aggressive comments, direct or confidential messages, etc.) and 8 students stated they have been exposed to racial violence and physical assault.

The students stated that part of the reason why they experienced these problems was misperceptions and misinformation generated by the media in Turkey, and the overall public acceptance of such perceptions. Due to the generalisation that every individual in the African continent is underprivileged, the students stated that they have suffered from biases and discriminatory statements in their daily lives. The examples given by the students indicate that the Turkish community has biases against the level of development, cultural life and nutrition of African individuals, and the generalisation that every African individual suffers from poverty, lack of education and starvation leads to such biases. Students stated that a part of the reason why they experienced racist discourse was the sudden increase in the African population in Turkey in recent years and the fact that Turkey has received more migration in general compared to previous years.

The information note states that having evaluated the statements and experiences of 42 African university students who participated in the survey study by international standards, some of their experiences in various fields in Turkey could be defined as racism and racist discrimination, and could be evaluated as a violation of basic human rights in this framework.

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