According to the UNHCR (2011, p2), an asylum seeker is one seeking protection without a determined refugee status. In contrast, it defined that a refugee is one who is forced to leave their countries due persecuted for race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion (The 1961 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees). On the other hand, Taylor (2004) defined a refugee as one who is subject to persecution in their home country and have the strong need for resettlement with full assistance from the government, whereas an asylum seeker is defined as one who have arrived in Australia before formally seeking asylum and being accepted as refugees for whom Australia has protection obligations. Refugees …show more content…
This distinction reveals the difference on impact and privileges between the statuses, where there is an evident difference in attitude from the general public such as the wider host society, the government and those seeking protection away from their home country. This essay explores how the differences in these terms and how it influences societal attitudes towards those seeking protection.
In Australian society, the differences in the two groups have resulted in a difference in treatment. Despite both asylum seekers and refugees lack English, required skills and non-transferability of qualifications which creates barriers to employment, refugees particularly have a higher barrier such as unpreparedness for departure, lack of identification and disruption to education in refugee camps (Taylor 2002). With this higher barrier for refugees, they face more extreme hardship in settlement refugees have higher unemployment rates, lower earning and occupational
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Therefore, refugees experience a higher degree of torture or trauma. For instance, in a study (Pittaway 1991), found 73% of some 200 refugee women suffering from either medium or high degrees of trauma and torture prior to coming to Australia. Torture and trauma counselling was not effectively developed until the late 1980s (Jupp 2003), even now, it has not always been available for refugees in settlement programs. By not recognising the provision of services to refugees, undermines their experience in settlement, and thus a lack of support has not been provided (Taylor 2004). Refugees, particularly survivors of torture and trauma, have been identified as particularly at risk of mental illness but research shows very diverse patterns among different groups of refugees (Jayasuriya et al. 1992). Given the background the refugees escaped from, any attempt to not provide effective facility or support would deepen their woes. It can be seen how refugee’s background and experience have not been taken into consideration, and thus, revealing the difference in treatment between the two
An extraordinary 65.3 million Refugees have been displaced around the world. In 2015 Australia took 12,000 of them. But where are Australians placing these Refugees? Australia is deporting these Refugees to a third country, either on Manus or Nauru Island. These Islands have reports of inhumane and cruel treatment towards Refugees For those who aren’t fully aware of what Refugees are; they are people whom come to Australia illegally without the appropriate visas. They cannot obtain these visas because of the reasons they are fleeing their country … their Government. None the less it should be the Australian Government they fear. The concepts of refugees are kept hidden away from us by our own Government in reflection of their Governments own self-interest. This tragedy is classified as a modern day witch hunt.
The film 8 ½ centers on a filmmaker, Guido Anselmi, who struggles with the making of a new movie. Throughout the film, we see Guido’s fantasies, dreams, memories, and reality and often the line in between these moments is blurred. It is hard to indisputably tell whether a particular scene is truly happening in the reality of the film. What we do know, though, is that every scene is happening, either consciously or not, for Guido. Even if he does not really live in a house with all of the women in his life, that scene can reveal something about Guido since he is the one having the fantasy.
Australia has had a long history of receiving individuals and groups who are seeking asylum as well as unfortunately a long history of turning those away who are perceived as different. (McKay,Thomas & Blood 2011).Even though the white Australia policy was abandoned decades ago it still lives on as a strong resonance in the conservative right of politics (Westoby & Ingamells, 2010). Community fear about Australia’s border seem easily triggered, which has prompted the term ‘paranoid nationalism’ to be used to describe the heightened refugee politics of the Howard years linked to discrimination and maltreatment of asylum seekers which still lives on today (Westoby & Ingamells, 2010). This paper will use the term asylum seeker to identify those who have arrived at Australian shores seeking refuge without a valid visa. I aim to consider throughout this paper this history of how asylum seekers have been constructed as the ‘other’ and to examine the role of public discourse and political, legal and media responses, such as the implementation of detention centres, as creating and reinforcing the position of asylum seekers as different and not belonging. It will be therefore argued that while we have come a long way from the treatment the Howard government gave asylum seekers, we have not come far enough. Two key areas being the use of ‘othering’ and the implementation of detention centres need to be challenged if we are to take the responsibility of providing refuge for asylum seekers seriously.
Definition of an Asylum Seeker: An asylum seeker is any person who has unwillingly fled their country of origin and is unable return due to facing persecution because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, political opinion or involvement in a particular social or political group.
The term government policy is any cause of action implemented by the government to change a certain situation and to tackle a wide range of issues in all areaslikefinance,education,statewelfare,immigrationlaw(https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/government-policy).For the purpose of this essay, I will be talking more about government policies in relation to refugees and asylum seekers and its implication for social work.
The conditions of Australia’s immigration detention policies have also been cause for concern for probable contraventions of Articles 7 and 10 of the ICCPR. Whilst in Sweden, asylum seekers are afforded free housing whilst their applications are being processed, Australia’s methods are much more callous. Under the Pacific Solution, maritime asylum seekers are sent to impoverished tropical islands with no monitoring by human rights organisations allowed (Hyndman and Mountz, 2008). The UNHCR criticised Australia’s offshore processing centres stating that “significant overcrowding, cramped living quarters, unhygienic conditions, little privacy and harsh tropical climate contribute to the poor conditions of… Nauru and Papua New Guinea” (Morales
According to the 1951 Refugee Convention, refugee is a term applied to anyone who is outside his/her own country and cannot return due to the fear of being persecuted on the basis of race, religion, nationality, membership of a group or political opinion. Many “refugees” that the media and the general public refer to today are known as internally displaced persons, which are people forced to flee their homes to avoid things such as armed conflict, generalized violations of human rights or natural and non-natural disasters. These two groups are distinctly different but fall ...
Initially refugees will need help to make contact with health and social support agencies. Professional interpreters are essential. Time, patience, and a welcoming approach will break down many barriers, but some refugees have problems that need specialist help and support for which there are few resources, especially outside London. It is crucial that these resources are developed before larger numbers of asylum seekers are dispersed.
In this essay, I will be talking about social work problems faced in the UK and how they are addressed. I will be focusing on asylum seekers particularly Unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC). These are children who are under 18yrs of age and applying for asylum in their own rights. I aim to highlight key areas in understanding the needs of these children while recognising that these are by no means homogenous, and therefore explain how these needs are addressed by social policies, legislature and social workers.
Bhabha, J., & Young, W. (1998) Through A Child's Eyes: Protecting the Most Vulnerable Asylum Seekers. Interpreter Releases 75 (21), pp. 757-791.
Compare and contrast Australia’s policy refugees and asylum seekers with that of two other countries.
The social problem we have chosen to address is the mental health status of refugees. Refugees are exposed to a significant amount of trauma due to fear, war, persecution, torture, and relocating. The mental health illnesses that can affect refugees due to exposure to traumas include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Research indicated that refugees relocating from war-torn countries are particularly vulnerable to mental health concerns because many have experienced early traumas and face further post-traumas after relocation (Cummings, et al., 2011). However, despite the prevalence of mental health issues concerning refugees, mental health needs often go unrecognized and untreated.
Annually, around 900,000 refugees apply for asylum worldwide. [1] Among asylees, history of human rights abuse and torture is quite frequent, [2,3,4] and among foreign- born patients in urban primary care clinics, the prevalence of history of torture could be up to 11% overall [5,6] with much higher rates among subgroups. An asylum seeker is defined as a person who is unable or unwilling to return to his or her country of nationality because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion; is already in the United States; and is seeking admission at a port of entry. [7] In 2012, close to 30,000 people coming from a wide variety of countries from Asia and Africa were granted asylum in the US [7]. Asylum seekers are uniquely vulnerable in that they often suffer psychological sequelae of their experiences. There are significant long-term and short-term consequences of human rights abuses including but not limited to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder, chronic pain syndromes and physical limitations from physical trauma. [8,9,10,11,12] Refugee asylum seekers encounter many barriers to health care access, including emotional and mental health problems, discrimination, significant challenges of resettlement, fear of deportation, and social assimilation and language barriers. [13,14,15,16,17,28,29,20]
The first chapter of the book provides a highly informative background and history to the concept of refugees, as well as their relevance to the modern international political system. The authors importantly point out that defining a refugee is not simply a matter of academic concern because resulting definitions may mean the difference between life and death for people in conflict zones. Defining a refugee involves political and ethical considerations, inevitably creating disagreement regarding the issue. For example, when refugees are defined in a certain way by the United Nations, research will consequently revolve around such definitions and will help support the status quo of the institut...
In relation to social transformation I have gathered materials that focusses on programs provided for ‘refugees’ living in New Zealand. The purpose of my findings are based on the societies support for ‘refugees’ in terms of human security and directions of life before settling in their new destination. There are stories about ‘refugees’ that need to be shared and stories that need to be forgotten, because it can produce controversy within the society or the universe. But where can these ‘refugees’ go if the place they call home is unsafe or too risky for the lives of their families and for themselves. It’s hard enough to migrate into a new country, but it is devastating for refugees who have experienced the loss of homes and loved ones.