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in: Everyday Bordering in Migrants’ Access to Rights: Scope, Practices and Strategies of Resistance, Itır Aladağ Görentaş,Marie Mallett-Garcia,Jeremy Mandin,Elsa Mescoli,Buket Özdemir Dal, Editor, Palgrave Macmillan US, New York, pp.154-181, 2025
Gendered differences in border crossing and migration experiences have profound effects on people on the move, particularly women. Bordering transcend physical borders, becoming covert boundaries within host countries through national policies and legislation. This study examines these covert boundaries as an ongoing process, focusing on their impact on Syrian women’s access to fundamental human rights in Turkey. We argue that host society dynamics, supported by laws and policies, reproduce these borders, creating an implicit caste system that undermines equal rights.
Syrian women, among the most vulnerable groups, face multiple layers of exclusion due to xenophobia, gender-based discrimination, and limited legal protections. The implementation of Turkey’s temporary protection regime prioritises access to services over guaranteeing fundamental rights, making such services discretionary rather than assured. These invisible boundaries significantly restrict Syrian women’s opportunities for social and legal inclusion, exacerbating their precarious status within the host society. Drawing on in-depth interviews with Syrian women in Istanbul and Gaziantep, it explores how these boundaries affect their economic, social, and legal lives. By focusing on the intersection of gender and migration, the findings contribute to the socio-legal literature by critically analysing policy impacts on marginalised groups and advocating for inclusive frameworks to ensure equal rights and opportunities.