2. United Nations policies and definitions
Australian Policy
Theories
Asylum Seekers
Ethical Discussion

3. Who is anAustralian human rights commission
 According to
asylum seeker?
Asylum seeker is a person who has fled their own
country and applied for protection as a refugee.
This policy violets Human right!

4. Australian policy
Mandatory detention
Australian federal government policy for unauthorised
arrivals by the Paul Keating Labor government in 1992.

5. They must be detained regardless of circumstance and
there will be no consideration of, age, sex or other
factors.
there was a limitation of
detaining period which is
273days

6. However, that same government introduced another
legislation called Migration Reform Act 1992 after two
years Which lead to indefinite detention
According to Australian human rights
commission,
Australia has responsibilities to protect the
human rights of all asylum seekers and
refugees who arrive in Australia

7. Mandatory detention is unethical as well because they
are detained for long periods and they suffer physical
and mental health problems, including self-harm and
suicide.

8.  Article 14 Everyone has rights to seek and to enjoy in
other countries asylum from persecution
“Turn the boats around”

9. As a party to the Refugee Convention, Australia has
agreed to ensure that people who meet the United
Nations definition of refugee are not sent back to a
country where their life or freedom would be
threatened

10. An Iraqi whose application for asylum in Australia was
rejected. After waiting for the decision for 5 years, on a
Temporary Protection Visa, he was returned to Iraq, As a
result, he was murdered on suspicion of being a spy for the
Australian government.
By mandatory detention
2007 written by Sue Fleet

11. Facts about asylum seekers..
 Illegal migrants??
Australians are humanitarian nation, Australia is a
signatory to the Refugee Convention of 1951 which
means that a person is able to seek asylum in Australia
by boat or plane, with documents or undocumented.

12.  Considerable??
 ABC news reported on 18th may 2001 that In June 2009,
it was estimated that there were about 48,700 over
stayers in Australia.
 In 09 to 10 there have been only 5,267 of asylum
seekers arrived on boat

13.  Greedy people?
UNHCR, 43.3 million People were forcibly displaced
worldwide at the end of 2009,
 Queue jumpers?

14.  A refugee is someone who is unable or unwilling to return to
their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being
persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality,
membership of a particular social group, or political opinion
(UN convention,1951).

15. Why people are being compelled to leave their own country and seek refuge as
a asylum seekers or refugee?
 War
 Serious persecution of government
 Denial of citizenship
 Traditional life style
 Lands confiscated by the Military regimes
 No right to health, education or other human service
 Fleeing from political regimes
 Religious discrimination
 No freedom of movement
 No freedom of expression
 Child abuse, sexual harassment and rape
 Arbitrary arrest

16. Refugee life in camp

17. International law
 Convention (1951)
 Declaration of Human rights(1948)
 Protocol

18. UNHCR Mandate
 Lead and coordinate international support for refugees
 Protect and support refugees at the request of a
Government or the UN
 Safe guard the rights and well being of Refugees
 Ensure that people can exercise the right to seek
asylum, and find safe refuge in another state
 Assist in return home or voluntary repatriation , local
integration or resettlement to a third country.

19. Emergency Stage
 Assistance policies that ensure that single refugee
women , children and other vulnerable refugees gain
access to food, primary education, shelter, health care,
clean water, firewood, etc.
 Prevention of attacks on refugee in crossing the border
physical attacks, sexual harassment, rape, abduction,
sexual abuse, other.

20. Australia's Immigration Detention Policy and Practice
 “Australian law requires the detention of all non-
citizens who are in Australia without a valid visa
(unlawful non-citizens). This means that immigration
officials have no choice but to detain persons who
arrive without a visa (unauthorised arrivals), or
persons who arrive with a visa and subsequently
become unlawful because their visa has expired or
been cancelled (authorised arrivals). Australian law
makes no distinction between the detention of adults
and children.”

21. MYTH: Asylum seekers are “illegals” or “Queue jumpers”
 UN Convention relating to status of refugee, and Australian law make
clear that it is legal for people seeking asylum to do so in another
country
 Over 85% of boat people who came to Australia fulfil refugee criteria
(more on appeal)
 No queue: No UNHCR in Iraq and Afghanistan
 In Sri Lanka UNHCR inaccessible and dangerous

22. Ethical response: Negative and positive
1. Asylum seekers need to be locked up in detention centres- They could be
DANGEROUS!! They are a security threat to Australia!
=
1. “85- 90% of asylum seekers coming to Australia by boat have been
founded to be genuine refugees. Asylum seekers often escaped difficult and
dangerous places and care and support”

23. Ethical response: Negative and
positive
2. Boat people are illegal immigrants. They have no right to come to
Australia. They don’t even have visa!
=
2. “It is not illegal for asylum seekers to come by boat- It is allowed by the
Refugee convention which recognised that it really often hard to get a visa or
passport. In Australia most asylum seekers come by plane. There is more
than 50,000 illegal migrants in Australia but most of are U.S.A, N.Z and the
U.K.”

24. Ethical response: Negative and
positive
3 . “Australia is being SWAMPED by asylum seekers”
=
3. “There are only 21000 refugees living in Australia. That’s small number
compared to Pakistan (1.8 million) Germany (583,000) Canada (113,000)
and U.K (292,000). Most refugees live in the poorest and most dangerous
countries In the World. Countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh- not in
Australia”

25. Ethical response: Negative and positive
4. If boat people can pay money to people smugglers in order to get
here…Then they are not refugee
=
4.“A refugee is someone who faced persecution or is in danger because of
their race, religion, or political opinion. Just because you have money does
not mean your life at risk. In many causes, it is the educated people who
speak out against governments… and so become targets for persecution”.

26. Ethical response: Negative and positive
5. We consider Australia receives more refugees than its fair share . We are
going to be flooded with refugees if we do not stop them coming.
=
5.“In 2009, the largest number of asylums claims made to an
industrialised country was to the U.S.A. - 49,000 claims. France was next
with 42,000, then Canada with 33, 000 claims. In compare, Australia got
only 6, 170 applicants.”

27. Or.. Refugees: theories of explanation

28. Types of Refugees
Voluntary Forced
 No decision is made by the
 Make the decision to migrate refugee
 Aren’t faced with an  Usually faced with a threat
immediate threat such as military command,
 May be looking at other famine, poverty or unrested
motives political events
 In some cases, voluntary  In most cases, forced refugees
refugees have more choice in are sent to refugee camps
attaining other forms of
asylum rather than just
refugee camps

29. Theories: Breakdown
 Most migration (refugee) theories have these things in
common:
 Migration stream consideration
 Demographic consideration
 Economic consideration
 And whether forced or voluntary
*Almost ALL theories are addressed to voluntary
migration

30. Types of Theories
 Micro
 Socio-psychological factors
 Focuses on Motivation, Decision Making, Satisfaction
and Identification
 Macro
 Immigrant adaption process
 Economic and social integration
 Assimilation

31. Theories
Laws of Migration (Revenstein,
1885, 1889) Stouffer
 Most migrations are over a  Mobility/Distance Ration
short distance  Incorporated intervening
 Generate counter streams opportunities
 Related to technological
advances
 Urban less migratory than
rural.
 Females migrate shorter
distances

32. Quote from Richmond (1988)

33. References
 Amnesty, I. (2011). The facts on refugees and asylum seekers Retrieved 21 May, 2012, from
http://www.amnesty.org.au/refugees/comments/24506/
 Grundy, R. (Producer). (2009). Asylum Seekers, Refugees, People Smugglers, Migrants,
Trafficking in Humans. [PowerPoint Presentation] Retrieved from
http://www.slideshare.net/dsubs/asylum-seekers-australia
 Hawkes, E. (Producer). (2011). An Australian Refugee Story. [PowerPoint] Retrieved from
http://www.slideshare.net/emilyhawes/australian-refugee-intro
 Richmond, A. H. (1988). Sociological Theories of International Migration: The Case of
Refugees. Current Sociology, 36(2), 7-25. doi: 10.1177/001139288036002004
 UNHCR(2012) Australians supporting the UN Refugee Agency. Retrieved from
http://www.unrefugees.org.au/
 United Nation Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, (1994-2003). Social and
Human Science, FOOD FOR THOUGHT, THOUGHT FOR ACTION: Convention
relating to the Status of Refugees http://www.unesco.org/most/rr4ref.htm
 UNHCR. (2010). Convention and Protocol: Relating to the Status of Refugees (pp. 1-56).
Geneva: United Nations.