Gabriele Cloeters studied Turkology and History at the University of Hamburg. Cloeters' dissertation research is titled “The perception of gender-based violence in feminist media free spaces.” Her research focuses on the feminist counter public discussion in feminist newspapers of the problem of violence against women in Turkey from the 1980s until today. Her research project was supported by the Universities Fund for Gender Equality at the University of Hamburg, where she held a graduate scholarship in the Department of Turkology. Gabriele Cloeters is also interested in current issues of integration and asylum policies as well as minority policies in Turkey.

Cloeters has been active in volunteer work in the fields of refugee integration and support of feminist policies in Germany. As a member of the football club St. Pauli in Hamburg, she was involved in several football fan projects aiming to integrate refugees socially through sports. The projects also target the general public to promote a more reasonable integration policy. Furthermore, she has been involved in a football partnership project with a women’s football team in Kenya aiming to ensure women’s rights to participate in sports.

Project: “The Gender Aspect of Syrian Migration in Turkey: Approaches of Non-Governmental-Organizations toward Female Syrian Refugees”

The results of forced migration place Syrian refugee women in an especially vulnerable position. Due to the patriarchal nature of their own communities and Turkish society, they are structurally disadvantaged and thus exposed to a range of violence and insecurities including rape, sexual abuse, and extreme impoverishment.

Using methods of the empirical science, the background of approaches on gender-based insecurities, and intersectional feminist theories, the project focuses on how and whether the situation of female refugees is taken into account by NGOs in their refugee support services. Furthermore, the project will investigate whether female refugees are integrated into the decision-making process and whether any international networks exist for the support of female refugees.

The overall aim of the project is to contribute a concrete recommendation of action for policymakers and key stakeholders regarding gender-sensitive approaches toward refugees. Additional outcomes include strengthening bilateral cooperation between Turkey and Germany, developing common action strategies, and stimulating academic exchange. By developing gender-sensitive perceptions on crisis and migration, we can improve women’s basic human rights and security and also develop long-term approaches for effective integration of refugees.