By the Centre for Migration Studies of the Training Department of Directorate General for Migration Management and Istanbul Migration Provincial Directorate of Administration, the Marmara Region Workshop Themed as “Irregular Migration in Turkey” was held in Istanbul University Congress and Culture Centre with the participations of academicians from Marmara Region, representatives from public institutes and nongovernmental organizations on 4-5 December 2015.

The initial speeches on the first day of the workshop in which the collaboration, communication and information sharing at the region level is tried to increase was made by the Head of the Training Department of Directorate General for Migration Management Osman Koramaz, Deputy Manager of Directorate General for Migration Management Salih Bıçak and Istanbul University Chancellor Prof. Dr. Mahmut Ak.

The first day of the workshop started with the panel named as “Irregular Migration, Deportation and Administrative Detention” under the moderation of Yeditepe University Academic Member Prof. Dr. Nuray Ekşi. In the panel, Asst. Prof. Dr. Lami Bertan Tokuzlu addressed the issue of “Risk Analysis in Mass Defection Under the Lights of International Jurisdiction Decisions” and Meltem Ersan from International Organization for Migration addressed the issue of “Irregular Migration, Trends and Policies”. The second panel was held under the moderation of Istanbul University Prof. Dr. Hatice Kurtuluş.

In this panel, Asst. Prof. Dr. Yasemin Çakırer Özservet from Marmara University, Dr. M.Cemil Arslan from Union of Municipalities of the Marmara Region, Mehdi Zouaquı from Middle East Development Network, Mohamed Hosenalmahlı from United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and Asica Section, Tuba Duman Yıldızbakan from the centre of Zeytinburnu Local Development and EU Relations Coordination handled the subject of “ The Effects of Irregular Migration on Local Government and Urban Sociology”.

In the first session which started in afternoon, the theme of “The National and International Legal Frame of Irregular Migration” was debated under the moderation of Istanbul University Academic Member Prof. Dr. İbrahim Kaya. Later in the second session, the theme of “Irregular Migrants and Undeclared Work” was debated.

The second day of the workshop started with the panel themed as “Turkey and EU Readmission Agreements” under the moderation of Marmara University Academic Member Prof. Dr. Sibel Özel. Yıldız Technical University Academic Member and Secretary General of Economic Development Foundation Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Nas addressed the issue of “Readmission Agreement and Visa Liberalization Process”. Prof. Dr. Kamuran Rençber from Uludağ University and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barış Özdal handled the subject of “The Effects of Readmission Agreement on Turkey and EU Relations Under the Lights of Current Affairs”. Lawyer Can Vodina from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees addressed the issue of “The Human Rights Aspect of Readmission Agreement” and Damla Bayraktar mentioned about the theme of “Readmission Negotiations with the European Union in the Context of Turkey’s Migration Policies”.

The panel themed as “The Coping Methods with the Psychological and Social Problems of Irregular Migrants” was held under the moderation of Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty Academic Member Prof. Dr. İbrahim Balcıoğlu. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Deniz Sert from Özyeğin University presented the theme of “Education, Health, Sheltering and Migrants”, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gülseli Baysu from Kadir Has University handled the subject of “Migration, Social Exclusion and Woman” and Dr. Hülya Bingöl from Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty handled the subject of “Children and Migration”. In the first session which started in the afternoon, the theme of “Freedom, Border Management in the Context of Security Balance” was debated under the moderation of Prof Dr. Şule Toktaş from Kadir Has University. After in the second session, the theme of “The Access of Irregular Migrants to the Public Services and Adaptation to the Public Sphere” was debated under the moderation of Assoc. Dr. Yusuf Adıgüzel from Istanbul University. The workshop ended after the general assessment session.