Turkey introduces 24/7 call center for Syrian refugees

SANLIURFA, Turkey

A call center designed to help Syrian refugees was unveiled to the media in Turkey’s southern province of Sanliurfa on Wednesday.

The 24/7 facility was established a month ago with the cooperation of the International Middle East Peace Research Center (IMPR) and Sanliurfa Governor’s Office.

Twenty-two qualified personnel, including psychologists, legal representatives and translators, will provide a range of services to just some of the three million Syrian refugees being sheltered in Turkey.

IMPR Deputy President Umit Algan said the call center would seek to provide a solution to daily issues in the area “such as health, education and security”.

Algan said the facility could become an example for the rest of Turkey.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011. Since then, more than a quarter of a million people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced across the war-torn country, according to the UN.

Reporting by Rauf Maltas and Mehmet Fatih Aslan; Writing by Fatma Bulbul