100 Roma Families living in container housing in Istanbul/Silivri

Date 30 July 2012 Author Roma React Category Uncategorised

The Residents of the Roma neighourhood consisting of conteiners in Silivri district of İstanbul (Turkey) subsist on paper and scrap collecting. There are sometimes tensions among the residents in the neighbourhood, in where almost 100 Roma family live, as a result of difficult living conditions. Some of the families are obliged to leave the neighbourhood giving their houses to some others after each fight.

Source: Media Roma İstanbul

Roma families who had stayed in their own houses in Alibey neighbourhood in Silivri started to live in tents when their houses were demolished. However, repeated flood and fire disasters caused Roma families to suffer. The municipality gave conteiners to the Roma families as temporary refuge with a protocal signed among the municipality and the residents in 2008. There are water and electricity systems in the conteiners which generally have 2 room, one hall, toilet and kitchen. There are also some families who live in tents and shelters built with pieces of nylon in the neighbourhood. The most important problem of the neighourhood which is near garbage dump is the rubbish smell wrapping all of the neighbourhood. There are also epidemics among children related with the conditions as it's reported by some of the residents.

Roma families living in conteiner try to survive collecting scrap and paper under hard conditions. It's so usual to see tension among the residents who are unable to escape from the extreme poverty. Almost every tension turns to a fight and as a result of these fights, some of the residents are leaving their houses. In last January, a fight between relative families became a serious conflict and a person lost his life after the incident.