大象传媒

Correspondent Mark Lowen visited a shop in a poor neighbourhood in Istanbul, Turkey where 15 Syrian refugees are living in a few square metres, for which they pay 100 lira a day, which is about 拢30.

鈥淵ou get a sense that those in dire need are being exploited by landlords here,鈥� said Mark Lowen.

There are about 1m Syrian refugees in Turkey, say the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Some are living in camps but others are in big cities such as Istanbul in private accommodation.

鈥淲e never in our lives have begged for money but now we are forced to do that, and then the police come at the end of the day and capture us, put us in prison and take our money, we can鈥檛 buy food鈥�, said one refugee.

Mark Lowen also spoke to Turkish shopkeepers about tension in the area between Turkish and Syrian communities:

鈥淲e don鈥檛 want them, we don鈥檛 want any more Syrians, this place is at full capacity, landlords have started kicking out Turkish tenants because they get more money from Syrians, but the lifestyle of refugees is not acceptable, it has become a slum here.鈥�

This clip is from 5 live on 12 November 2014, as part of the 大象传媒's Syria's War coverage.

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