<p>Vulnerable refugee groups in Istanbul´s textile industry: Syrian women and minors</p>

This research investigates the experience of vulnerable refugee workers in the clothing industry in Istanbul. We conducted qualitative research based on 28 interviews with Syrian women, minors, and youth adults who began working in this industry as minors. The result demonstrates that they work in the lowest position in the organizational structures, usually as errand-boys (especially minors), and finishers (especially women) in the final stage of production. We also found that, Women prefer working in small workshops near home, because it offers them more flexibility and allows them to combine work with home caring duties. However, the owners of these workshops often exploit their insecurity and need for more flexibility by drastically reducing their salaries under the guise of a compromise. This research also demonstrates the significance of spaces of encounters between employer-employee outside of the power relationships to better understand the experience of these workers. Furthermore, it appeared that physical health seems to occupy a central position in the discourses of women refugees about their well-being. However, our research also demonstrates the need to consider minors' claims of belonging as an urgent issue for their subjective wellbeing and integration. These minors are aware of their parents' reliance on their income, but also of their parents' feelings of guilt for allowing them to work in such conditions. Therefore, they avoid expressing or revealing their daily suffering at work to their families and ultimately remain alone while facing dismal working conditions.