© UNHCR/P. Taggart
Australia to turn its back on African refugees
The Australian Government announced yesterday that Australia would not accept any more humanitarian entrants from Africa until at least July 2008. Immigration Minister, Kevin Andrews, explained that African refugees were not integrating so well into the Australian community and this was a reason for refusing them entry.
The Refugee Convention and Australia's obligation under this applies to refugees - people in need of protection whose own state can no longer ensure that their human rights will not be abused. There are no quantifying statements about where a refugee is from or how they will live in their new community.
Kevin Andrews explained to the media; "We know that many of them (African refugees), if not most of them, have spent up to a decade in refugee camps and they've spent much of their lives in very much a war-torn, conflicted situation." These are among his reasons for not allowing African refugees protection in Australia. I would think that these are among the reasons that these people require protection and should not be denied their human right to seek asylum.
There are five reasons a person is granted refugee status and potential for integration is not one of them. In fact, Australia had been recognised as a country that did not let such criteria become a factor in denying or accepting refugees from anywhere in the world. Community, services and humanity provide tools for integration and the first step is for Governments to meet their international obligations and provide the protection.
As a resettlement country, Australia had, in recent years, been increasing its commitment to providing protection to African refugees. A blanket end to this means that Australia will now ignore the very real possibility that there will be external factors such as heightened conflicts in the region which would in turn lead to increased refugee flows.
In January 2005, the UNHCR reported that there were 4,855,200 Africans listed as "persons of concern". In only one year, by January 2006, this figure had risen to 5,169,300. This figure is only likely to rise as conflicts continue in sub-Saharan Africa.
Australia's decision to turn its back on these people is alarming.
If you disagree with this decision, join the online debate on a mainstream website, which includes many comments from people supporting the Australian Government announcement.
Comments
Janice Bell | Posted on 14 October 2007, 06:35PM | Report comment
We are one of the few countries in the world able to resettle refugees. We should increase our quotas and spend money when they get here to house and train them at the very least. There are plenty of Australian born youths of anglo backgrounds who also commit crime, go round in gangs etc. What about some of the motorcycle gangs, the bodgies of yore, skinheads etc? We should not tar the whole of the largely quiet hard working communities of people from various parts of Africa with the misdemeanours, antisocial behaviour or even crimes, or a small minority.
James | Posted on 11 October 2007, 10:32AM | Report comment
Integration is a process. it depends on time and programs. I came in 2003 but i still find it hard to settle given the fact that i have no relative to support me. Those African boys taken to be criminals find it hard to settle because of many factors such as lack of jobs, no appropriate training to give them hope of getting to jobs, once they get a job treatment at work is another factor and many more problems which I personally witnessed.
Fiona Morris | Posted on 6 October 2007, 08:57AM | Report comment
“African” is a meaningless term, one I last heard at all-white dinner parties in apartheid South Africa. Of course, Mr Andrews really means “black people”(unless he includes white farmers from Zimbabwe as Africans who don’t fit in)
As a self-described Christian he should read Matt 25: 35-.40. As Minister of Immigration he should read “What is the What”, the best-selling book by Dave Eggers, to understand the terror and trauma of the Sudanese lost boys. The author does not claim a Christian ethic to my knowledge but is donating all the huge profits from his book to helping Sudanese refugees in America and to helping rebuild the burned villages from which they fled.
Meanwhile, in Australia Sudanese refugees get minimal assistance and for the young boys “integrating” often means adapting to the loitering, drinking and vandalising lifestyle that represents Australian “values” in our urban wastelands.
mads | Posted on 5 October 2007, 09:57AM | Report comment
With everything these refugees have already been through this is a major slap in the face. And how do you think this make Sudanese Australians feel? Welcome? I think not.