What is your research about?

Numerous people, because of different reasons, had to leave their hometown and/or the place where they were born and raised. Sometimes, people moved out of own will. However, often, people moved out of sheer necessity. In the last decade, the number of displaced people increased dramatically. Hundreds of thousands arrived in Europe, millions are hosted in Türkiye, and many lost their lives on the way. Even though States are bound to international laws and treaties, the implementation thereof is not always proper and consistent. It goes without saying that children remain one of the most vulnerable groups among all the refugee and migrant persons. In addition to necessities of human rights law, children have essential specific rights that must be guaranteed by the States.     

The research concerns human rights and in particular those rights of refugee and migrant children. The international and European legal framework, case-law, as well as Swiss standards and regulatory implementation are the main bases of the research. Besides, a child-friendly approach, complaint mechanisms and legal remedies are being identified and analyzed through a comparative lens. It seems that, in several aspects, the issue will remain a crucial and sensitive one for years. Therefore, through output of the research, my aim is to make a contribution to the analysis of the matter.

What is your background?

I did my PhD in International Law and Human Rights with a dissertation on “Reopening of Judicial Proceedings Due to Judgements Finding Violations by the European Court of Human Rights” at the University of Ankara, where I also graduated in law. I completed my master’s degree in public law on “Constitutional Law and the Rule of Law”.

I worked as a lecturer at the Justice Academy of Türkiye for several years. I gave lessons on International Human Rights Law, Individual Applications to the Constitutional Court and the Constitutional Judiciary, and Freedom of Expression and Media Headings. In addition, as the focal point in Türkiye, I conducted the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP). I was active at the editorial office of the Refereed Review of the Justice Academy of Türkiye and took part in the Editorial Board of Law & Justice Review.