Migration Media Award: Second Place Category Online
Authors: Zeynep Sentek, Margherita Bettoni
Media: The Black Sea (theblacksea.eu)
Date of publication: 19 January 2017
Title: Syrian Child Refugees in Turkey Work in Fields for Slave Wages
Short summary: An investigation exposing child labour and exploitation of Syrian refugees in the Turkish agriculture sector, with produce exported to European countries. The authors reveal the conditions refugees work in and conducted extensive interviews with families with children as young as 11 who work in the fields. The story is a collection of testimonies regarding illegal employment of children in fields, intimidation, late payments, and extreme physical work. Attention is focused to this especially exploitative sector, agriculture, as it is a particularly underreported angle in Europe even though EU countries are the biggest customers of Turkish agricultural produce.
Syrian child labor