Reportage:

Between Dreams and Reality – Kurdistan ‘03

0001.jpg For decades Turkey has imposed ethnically diverse groups in its territory.
Kurds in the South Eastern Turkey, have been perhaps most affected by these campaign
The people in this region Known as Kurdistan are marginalized by experience of collective isolation and abandonment.
Diyarbakir is a Turkish City in south-eastern region in which 90% of the population is Kurdish

Social Conditions are miserable, children are sent to work and their basic needs, which society should provide, are not catered for.
They roam the streets eager for attention while inhabitants experience poverty and high unemployment as side effect of systematic campaign of dispossession.
Repressive condition in the Past and ongoing state of surveillance, result in a sense of paranoia within community life.
Human rights are taboo subject in public places.

Despite years of struggle and many deaths, life goes on far the Kurdish population.
However, a determined spirit among the people provides a sense of hope for a future free from such trials
The capacity to move forward shapes their struggle for the basic principles they seek, freedom to express their identity, a recognition of this within their citizenship in Turkish state, and ultimate unity for the people of Kurdistan.

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Kurdistan, a daily routine

0002.jpg The problem of children living on the streets is widespread in Diyarbakir. Diyarbakir is a city located in southeast Turkey, a poor region with a history of social unrest caused by the never-ending conflict between the Turkish Government and Kurdish separatists. This has forced rural people from the surrounding mountain villages to move to the city. There is a high rate of unemployment among the population and the majority have large families. As a result children are sent to work as peddlers, garbage collectors, flower sellers or shoe shiners to help raise money for their families. These children do not attend school and are not supervised during the day. Their health and dietary needs are not met, and they are at risk of substance abuse and of turning to crime.

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