Category: Refugee

Introduction

Australia has experienced an increasing number of immigrants and refugees for more than three centuries now. During 18th and 19th centuries, most immigrants who came to Australia were Europeans and Chinese. These immigrants came to colonize Australia in a bid to obtain land for settlement, deport prisoners, and exploit gold.

From 1890 to 1970, the colonial government of Australia introduced White Australia Policy, which restricted immigration of non-Europeans. However, during the 1970s and 1980s, Australia adopted multicultural policy that led to increased Asian refugees. In the late 20th century, world unrest in places such as East Timor, Yugoslavia, Jakarta, South Africa, Argentina, coupled with the rise of communism in Europe created a large number of refugees and immigrants who increased the population of Australia.

Sudan’s Civil War and Afghanistan’s War on Terror contributed a large number of refugees and immigrants in the 21th century. According to Craig (1999), Australia has received over 500,000 refugees in the past 50 years (p.4). Due to a large number of refugees that Australia is hosting, Refugee Council of Australia (RCA) is currently having over 130 organizational members that support the process of offering essential services to refugees. Survey carried out showed that health, housing, and education are essential services that refugees require in Auburn, New South Wales (NSW).

Health Services

Survey carried out showed refugees in Auburn require more health services, for they face many health challenges. Realizing that refugees have many health issues, Australian ministry of health prepared strategic policy in 1999 to provide a framework for NSW healthcare system to deliver appropriate health care services that suit the needs of refugees.

Strategic policy aimed at enabling refugees to receive multilingual information from NSW healthcare system, access comprehensive health assessment, closely link with health professionals and access health professional interpreters who speak the native language of refugees.

Craig (1999) argues that, refugees need a comprehensive health strategy because they have traumatized experiences and are most vulnerable to diseases; hence, they should access health care services promptly (p.6). Therefore, strategic policy ensured that refugees have access to health care services and alleviate their vulnerability to health problems.

After the successful implementation of the strategic policy of 1999, the Australian government noted that refugees demanded more health services, which prompted it to prepare NSW Refugee Health Plan for 2011 to 2016. According to Stewart (2011), the health plan is a comprehensive plan that aims at improving health status and welfare of refugees in NSW by ensuring accessibility of health care services (p.8).

To enhance accessibility of health care services, the Refugee Health Plan recognizes complex medical needs of refugees and thus incorporate elements of culture and language as some of the factors that need consideration in the effective delivery of health care services in Auburn, NSW.

Psychological issues related to torture and trauma, preventive health care practices, reproductive health, immunization status, food security and nutrition are some of the health issues that the plan aims at resolving.

Housing Services

Good housing services in NSW are diminishing with time because refugees and native population are increasing gradually. According to Bannister, Blunden, and Forhmader (2004), about a third of the population who lives in NSW are experiencing housing stress (p.13). Housing stress occurs when people use over 30% of their income in paying rent or mortgages.

The shortage of housing, discrimination, and lack of reliable sources of finance are the crucial factors that predispose refugees to live in deplorable conditions (Evans & Gavarotto 2010, p.3; Afra 2008, p. 21). Refugees who have stable jobs and respectful relationship with their neighbors can easily access decent housing, while those who have no stable jobs and relate badly with the native community have difficulties in accessing better housing.

Taylor and Stanovic (2005) add that, social factors play a significant role in determining accessibility of decent housing (p.12). Hence, housing problem that refugees in NSW are facing need social solution that addresses multicultural integration. Since housing is a problem that refugees in Auburn, NSW are experiencing, Australian government in conjunction with Australia Council for Refugees have initiated programs and formulated polices that aim at addressing the issue of housing.

According to Vanstone (2005), Australian government have mobilized refugee organizations, individuals and ministry of immigration to ensure that all immigrant receive appropriate housing on their arrival to avoid problems of housing (p.13). Programs that ensure early settlement of refugees are particularly valuable in resolving housing shortage, and relocation of refugees in NSW.

Given cultural diversity of refugees and native community, discrimination has been a substantial factor that affected accessibility and affordability of decent housing in Auburn, NSW. To resolve the issue cultural discrimination in relocation of refugees, NSW Government provided a multicultural framework, which eliminated cultural barriers.

According to NSW Government (2010), housing is a social issue that needs social solution through formulation of programs and policies that are in tandem with multicultural framework (p.22). Therefore, multicultural framework of housing is essential in enhancing accessibility of decent and affordable housing to refugees in Auburn, NSW.

Educational Services

Refugee students are experiencing obstacles in the course of their studies that relates with traumatic experiences their conditions. According to Apout (2003), refugee students have educational difficulties that prevent them from transitioning well from one class to another (p.1).

Given that refugee students have trauma that relate with their life experiences, their psychological conditions pose a formidable challenge to teachers. Naidoo (2009) asserts that, traumatic experiences of refugee students who originated from war-torn countries have psychological problems that prevent them from integrating into the host society and adapting to new learning curriculum (p.40).

Thus, traumatic experiences of refugee students significantly affect their academic performance relative to native students.

Since traumatic and physical experiences affect academic performance of refugee students, Australian government, in collaboration with the NSW government, has formulated programs and policies that aim at improving academic performance of students.

According to Naidoo (2010), Refugee Action Support is a program that engages community and department of education in enhancing academic performance of students (p.47). The program aims at improving academic performance of refugee students through social and psychological intervention.

Sharon (2009) argues that, community-based programs play a critical role in providing comprehensive interventions that aid refugee students to cope with their challenges (p.11). Thus, NSW government is employing community-base programs in helping students improve their academic performance.

Conclusion

Literature review and survey indicates that refugees in Auburn are in dire need of health, housing and education services for they constantly utilize this services daily. Even though Australian government has made considerable steps in meeting diverse needs of refugees in health, housing and education, refugees in Auburn, NSW are not yet satisfied. To overcome health issue, the NSW government prepared strategic health plan that enable healthcare system to cope with increasing number of refugees and health issues.

Regarding housing, the NSW government asserts that multicultural framework offers appropriate platform of addressing social issues that relate with accessibility of decent and affordable housing. In education, programs and policies need to focus on psychological and social aspects of both teachers and refugees students as a way of enhancing academic performance in NSW schools.

References

Afra, S., 2008. Availability, Affordability, Accessibility: Housing Victoria’s New Migrant and Refugee Communities. Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria Policy Discussion Paper, 4, pp. 1-28.

Apout, M., 2003. Moving Refugees into Mainstream School. Refugee Council of Australia, pp. 1-11.

Bannister, D., Blunden, H., & Forhmader, C., 2004. Report to the UN Special Rapporteur on Housing Women and the Rights to Adequate Housing in Australia. Coalition of Non-Government Workers Australia, pp.1-131.

Craig, K., 1999. Strategic Directions in Refugee Health Care in NSW. New South Wales Health, pp. 1-29.

Evans, S., & Gavarotto, R., 2010. Long Way Home? The Plight of African Refugees Obtaining Decent Housing in Western Sydney. Anglicare Social Policy and Research, pp.1-44.

Naidoo, L., 2009. A Structuration Theory Analysis of the Refugee Action Support Program in Greater Western Sydney. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 34(4), pp. 40-50.

Naidoo, L., 2010. Engaging the Refugee Community of Greater Western Sydney. Issues in Educational Research, 20(1), pp. 47-56.

NSW Government. 2010. Housing NSW: Multicultural Framework 2009-2014. Human Services Housing, pp.1-7.

Sharon, B., 2009. Learning Support Programs: Education Reform Beyond the School. Brotherhood of St Brotherhood, pp. 1-35.

Stewart, G., 2011. Policy Directive: Refugee Health Plan 2011-2016. NSW Government, pp. 1-65.

Taylor, J., & Stanovic, D., 2005. Refugee and Regional Settlement: Balancing Priorities. Brotherhood of St Laurence, pp.1-69.

Vanstone, A., 2005. Refugee and Humanitarian Issues. Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, pp.1-52.

Executive summary

The purpose of this brief is to outline the current situation and to push for reforms in Lebanon pertaining to the ownership of property, land and housing by Palestinian refugees. It is addressed to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights since the office is charged with the responsibilities of ensuring the compliance of national legal systems with International Human rights.

Various recommendations have been put forward in this brief to address the specific issues mentioned and among them is the implementation of proposals in a change of the 2001 law on land that has brought great controversy (Brynen 2007, p.138).

Statement of the Issue/Problem

It may be pertinent to pursue the everlasting question of what role the Lebanese Government and other international organizations play in ensuring equal rights of ownership of land and property by the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon?

Background of the problem

Palestinians have since the massacres of Black September and war with the Israeli, been refugees with more than 50% of the Palestinian population displaced living all over the world. Estimates indicate that over 200,000 Palestinians were living in Lebanon by 1970 (Haley 1979, p.24).

There is very little prospect of returning to their homeland despite an established right in international law to return to their homeland. Palestinian refugees account for nearly 10% of the population in Lebanon with majority of them living in 12 refugee camps managed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and other committees.

Some of the refugees also live in rural settlements that are outside the UNRWA mandate. Palestinian refugees have suffered in these camps for many years having most of their basic rights infringed. Among these is their lack of rights to ownership of property, land and housing (Beker 1991, p. 96).

The law of Lebanon passed in 1969 had restricted land ownership by foreigners to 500 square meters per foreign person. Spouses and children of these foreigners were not considered as separate persons according to this law. In 2001, amendment of the law further imposed the restriction to 300 square meters per foreign person.

Furthermore the law now requires that for a foreigner to own land in Lebanon, he or she must be a citizen of an internationally recognized state. Given that the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are not citizens of any country, they were completely locked out from owning property or land in Lebanon.

The issue has been a sensitive topic in the international community as well as within Lebanon itself. However, the question on whether the issue is racist is subject to great debate.

In 2007, a conflict arose which had devastating effects resulting in the near complete destruction of the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp and areas surrounding it. There has been a recent move by the Palestinian government in trying to improve the conditions for the Palestinian refugees. Law reform proposals are still under scrutiny in parliament and have not yet been made into law (Knudsen 2011, p.48).

UNRWA is the main organization that has been of the most influence in trying to reduce the impact of lack of ownership rights by the Palestinian refugees. Various other organizations among them – The Directorate General for Development, Cooperation- Europe Aid and the European Union groups have also made huge contributions towards relief operations and reconstruction in these refugee camps.

Statement of the UN office

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is charged with the mandate to protect and promote human rights, in this case, of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

This very important international task is carried out in three main stages i.e., setting of international human rights standards, monitoring and making amendments to the standards and finally facilitating the adoption and implementation of the standards.

It therefore, has great interest in a move to change the current situation in Lebanon. Since none of the Palestinian refugees are citizens of a recognized country they are therefore not recognized as legal owners of property in the country. A description of the life of the following Palestinian refugee communities highlights the situation as it is in Lebanon (Choueiri 2005, p.48).

Policy options

Gaza Compound

This was a former hospital that was constructed by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) during the civil war in Lebanon. The organization later handed it over in 1982 to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society which was in charge of the premises until mid-80s. As a result of the civil war, some displaced Palestinians took refuge in the premises which comprises of a four building compound.

The compound currently houses many Palestinian families as well as other different groups. The buildings committee is a collective term which comprises each of the committees for the four individual buildings and acts as both the authority and body that ensures the provision of basic services such as water and electricity.

As such, the legal status of the Gaza compound can be clearly outlined as follows:

Being that the compound was constructed without a legal permit it is therefore, deemed legal by the Lebanese authorities since they were not registered with the Real Estate Agency. The Agency therefore considers neither the PLO nor the PRCS as the owners of the property or land. According to the Agency the land belongs to Lebanese public institutions and private natural persons.

Despite there being a contract between the owners of the land and the PLO, authorizing them to build on the land there has been silently suppressed with regard to the matter possibly with intentions to dispute the existence of some form of contract (Schiff 1995, p.88).

Currently, none of the people residing in the buildings have a legal document issued by the real land owner. This therefore implies that no inhabitant is legally allowed to live in the buildings as they do not possess legal documents that would grant them the right to reside in any unit or store in the buildings.

If in any case, the Lebanese government proves that the construction was undertaken in bad faith i.e., with knowledge of non-ownership of the premises, then the land owners are considered to have no legal obligation to compensate the PLO for construction if no written agreements are produced.

Nahr el-Bared camp

This is among the 12 refugee camps set aside for Palestinian refugees in the northern region of Lebanon. It is under the mandate of the UNRWA and its territory is outlined in the 1940 demarcation. Majority of the inhabitants of the camp were displaced after the 2007 conflict and those who remained live in pre-fabricated houses. Others have constructed their homes with assistance from some relief NGOs.

However some families are still renting houses around the camp to secure access back. The adjacent area has since the 1980s turned into a somewhat extension of the Nahr el-Bared camp. Palestinian refugees begun to purchase land in the surrounding areas and constructed their houses and as a result formed settlements due to the increasing population pressure in the camps.

In relation to the ownership of land and property by Palestinian refugees, the 2001 law had adverse effects on the practices of the purchase and sale of real right in the adjacent area.

Specific areas of interest were the revocation of the right to purchase land under irrevocable power of the attorney and the right to register property with the Real Estate Agency. This resulted in the increased role of the Popular Committee in the purchase of land and units.

Due to the 2007 conflict, the adjacent area sustained serious damage to the extent that part of it is still inaccessible until today (Talhami 2003, p.48).

Several legal issues have been raised as a result of the situation of the 2001 law especially relating to the legal status of the land before promulgation of the law, and the impacts of the 2007 conflicts and the resultant status of contracts that have been signed after the law amendment.

Comment

Generally the situation in Lebanon has led to worldwide action and petitions from humanitarian organizations. The Palestinian refugees are greatly mistreated and the Lebanese government has done comparatively little in an effort to make their lives more bearable. In this time and age violation of basic human rights should be a thing of the past.

So far the Lebanese government has received criticism from all over the world due to this issue. It is time for the leaders of the country to demonstrate good leadership qualities by amending the laws of the land so as to contribute to the general development of the entire state.

Advantages of the policy options

The following advantages will accrue to Lebanon as a country after the implementation of the above reform proposals:

By allowing the Palestinian refugees to own land, poverty levels will be relatively lower in the country since Palestinians will be able to invest in the land thus creating business and employment opportunities.

The Palestinian population is still waiting for the implementation of proposed changes in the laws defining the ownership of land in Lebanon. It is therefore time for the Lebanese government to facilitate reforms and complete the last step in establishing a socio-economic link with the Palestinian refugees (Khalidi 1997, p.76).

References

Beker, M 1991, Palestinians in Lebanon: contradictions of state-formation in exile, MERA, Amsterdam.

Brynen, R 2007, Palestinian refugees challenges of repatriation and development, I.B Tauris, London.

Choueiri, Y. M 2005, A companion to the history of the Middle East, Blackwell Pub, Malden.

Haley, P. E 1979, Lebanon in crisis: participants and issues, Syracuse University Press, Syracuse.

Khalidi, R 1997, Palestinian identity: the construction of modern national consciousness, Columbia University Press, New York.

Knudsen, A. J 2011, Palestinian refugee’s identity, space and place in the Levant, Routledge, London.

Roberts, R 2010, Palestinians in Lebanon: refugees living with long-term displacement, I.B Tauris, London.

Schiff, B. N 1995, Refugees unto the third generation: UN aid to Palestinians, Syracuse University Press, Syracuse.

Takkenberg, A 1998, The status of Palestinian refugees in international law, Clarendon Press, Oxford.

Talhami, G. H 2003, Palestinian refugees: pawns to political actors, Nova Science Publishers, New York.

Introduction

Refugees and ordinary migrants are people who enter and settle permanently in foreign countries. When people move across international borders to go and live in other countries, they move to reside in the given countries as immigrants. They can also be called refugees or asylum seekers. It is a requirement by the international laws of the United Nations on refugees that refugees should be formally recognized by the immigrant countries.

The immigrant countries should grant and approve visas to the refugees to allow them to live in them according to the laws on refugees. The laws on refugees were formed to curb illegal entry of refugees into any given country because of security and economic reasons.

Sometimes, refugees do not have to necessarily move from their countries of origin to other countries to qualify as refugees. People who move from one part of their country to another can also be called refugees in some sense. Such people are referred to as internally displaced persons (IDPS).

The intention of this study is to highlight the similarities and the differences that exist between refugees and ordinary immigrants. The study also indicates how both the refugees and ordinary immigrants face issues of trans-nationalism and assimilation.

Similarities and differences between refugees and immigrants

Refugees and ordinary immigrants normally move from their native countries to settle in different countries. Refugees relocate from their countries as a result of persecution by their mother governments or insurgents. Circumstances like civil war and religious conflicts instill fear to people prompting them to flee from their countries into others.

Such relocations by the refugees are involuntary and are informed by the prevailing circumstances of insecurity. An example was the civil war in Rwanda between the Hutus and the Tutsis which led to genocide in the early 1990s.The ethnic war led to the flight of many Rwandeses from their native country Rwanda to the neighboring countries in the East African region.

Once the refugees are in the immigrant countries, they are provided with basic necessities such as food, shelter and education. To some extent, they are also given financial aid. The immigrant governments have special agencies that look in to the welfare of the refugees. The UNHCR is an international body whose mandate is to coordinate all the affairs of refugees globally.

Ordinary immigrants on the other hand, relocate from their countries voluntarily. The urge to seek for better social and economic prospects inspires some people to personally choose to relocate to countries in which such prospects are easily attainable.

Currently, more people from developing countries especially in Africa are voluntarily relocating to developed countries to seek for employment. In addition, during the Great Depression in the 1930s that caused a severe economic decline in the US, most Americans migrated from USA to Europe. The need for family members to join others who live in different countries persuades them to relocate.

Assimilation and Tran nationalism

Refugees and ordinary immigrants are assimilated to the immigrant countries. In USA, a refugee can work and seek for permanent working status. They can also start businesses. Through the American Cultural Assimilation Policy, immigrants to the United States of America get absorbed into the American culture and gradually the distinction between the immigrants and the citizens of America becomes unrecognizable.

The refugees and ordinary immigrants are also able to maintain social and economic ties between themselves and natives in the immigrant countries. Jews who are scattered all over Asia, Europe and America still maintain social connections with their native country of origin, Israel.

Conclusion

The number of refugees in the world today has declined marginally. This is as a result of the decline of political, social and religious conflicts. A lot of effort should also be made to improve the economic status of each country. This will reduce the number of ordinary immigrants and refugees.

Introduction

This paper aims at analyzing the plight of refugees in various detention camps in the US, and Australia. It is factual that refugees go through difficulties in the camps since immigration officials harass them to accept illegal pacts and raw deals (Bagshaw & Paul 2004, p. 41).

Immigration officials force refugees to accept their pleas such as extending sexual favors. Some immigrants report that immigration officials are unwelcoming and use unacceptable language when addressing them. This paper aims at uncovering the injustices meted out to refugees in the US and Australia.

The main purpose of the paper is to expose the injustices that refugees face in their daily lives. In society, each person has the right to exercise his or her freedom. Detention facilities interfere with the rights of detainees because they force them to support illegal deals in the detention facilities.

The detention facilities should support refugees emotionally while they solve their problems through legal means. However, the detention facilities go against the acceptable codes of conduct by taking advantage of the plight of refugees. Through this paper, the world will appreciate the fact that refugees have a right, just like other citizens.

Background

Immigrants face a number of challenges in the United States and Australia. Australia and the US are two countries preferred by refugees who run away from political and economic hardships (Cohen 2004, p. 467). Refugees fleeing to the US and Australia are mostly Africans who believe that economic conditions would favor them there. The two countries face serious challenges in ensuring that their borders are safe. On the other hand, the countries are expected to assist refugees in need of commodities such as food, water, shelter, and security.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees is an agency that was created to help displaced individuals in the third world and other parts of the world. In 1951, there were an approximated 1.5 billion refugees in the world. The figure went up in 2009 to 43.3 billion, including approximated 15.2 billion displaced individuals, 983000 refuge seekers, and 27.1 internally displaced people. People run away from their homes due to natural disasters, political insecurity, and harsh economic conditions.

Current studies show that at least five factors encourage people to run away from their home countries to either Australia or the US. In Europe and Africa, individuals migrate to the two countries because of wage differences between the home countries and the two foreign countries.

These factors are commonly referred to as the pull factors because they attract people to migrate to the US or Australia. The US and Australia have experienced retarded growth implying in population to an extent that the two countries do not have sufficient labor. Hiking salaries and wages is one of the strategies employed to attract the global labor force (Evans 2007, p. 73).

Another factor that forces people to move to greener pastures is the population growth in the home country. Some countries have witnessed a massive population growth in the recent past, which forces individuals to look for space elsewhere. The US and Australia are preferred because the standards of living are better in the two countries.

This factor falls under the push factors because it puts pressure on an individual to move (Cernea 2006, p. 76). In the last twenty to thirty years, some countries have been forced to come up with policies aimed at discouraging population growth due to strained resources. China and India are some of the countries that discourage population growth because the government is unable to provide adequate services to the larger population.

In such countries, individuals prefer shifting to foreign countries perceived to be having favorable conditions of living. The US and Australia are the first destinations for individuals. As people shift to Australia and the US, many are encouraged to do so after noticing that their friends and relatives do well in the foreign countries. However, they do not understand that foreigners are exposed to torture and unfair treatment in the detention facilities.

Statistics show that about sixty percent of those migrating to the US and Australia are men while only forty percent are female. Seventy percent of immigrants are adults while twenty percent are children. This shows that people migrate to these two countries in search of jobs and business opportunities owing to the population pressure at home countries. In the detention facilities, young men are the majority implying that the types of abuses are mostly related to violation of employment acts (Kälin 2006, p. 19).

Issue Development

Local Reaction

A report by the American Civil Liberties Union observed that immigrants are subjected to unfair treatment in the detention facilities in Georgia. The organization undertook a study on four main detention facilities in the US.

One of the detention facilities was Stewart Detention Center, which is one of the largest detention facilities in the US. The organization claimed that the facility violates immigration policies yet the government is reluctant to act. Immigrants are housed in a prisonlike facility whereby their human and civil rights are not provided.

Through the report, the officials of Georgia came up with strict immigration policies that would allow the security forces to conduct frequent assessment of the detention facilities. The security agencies would question immigrants regarding their living conditions in the detention facilities. The government has so far enacted policies allowing the department of homeland security to deport illegal immigrants.

Illegal immigrants are victims of unfair treatment in the detention facilities. Private organizations operate substantial detention facilities in the US. The human rights groups have urged the government to deregister the private organizations operating the detention facilities on grounds of abuse. The civil groups argue that most of the detention facilities are in the remote areas and the facilities are of poor quality (Kälin 2000, p. 99).

The American Civil Liberties Union conducted an extensive research that lasted for three years, managing to interview sixty-eight detainees and a sizeable number of relatives and friends. The study established that detainees face serious problems because their rights are violated. They are subjected to poor sanitation, inadequate medical attention, inappropriate mental healthcare, and instances of verbal abuse. It is established that those in authority use their power to exploit detainees in the camp.

Some detainees claimed that officials used vulgar language and racial discrimination was rampant in the facilities. Some detainees are even subjected to physical violence, which is a violation of the right to life. At the Stewart detention facility, one detainee reported that a guard assaulted him one evening and injured him seriously. The detainee lost both eyes, but the officials of the detention facility are yet to take action against the guard (Lilly 2007, p. 101).

Each person is entitled to free medical care, but detainees at Australian detention facilities are never allowed to undergo regular medical checkups. Detention facilities in the US rarely employ a doctor who would attend to emergencies at night.

In government operated detention facilities, a doctor is usually provided, but medical facilities are not enough to cater for the medical needs of all detainees. In an interview with one female detainee, the report by the civil liberties groups claimed that the woman was left to suffer for hours before being taken to hospital.

Even after identifying that the woman needed urgent medical care, the officials were reluctant to act deviously to prevent unnecessary suffering and pain. In the American detention camps, the mental status of individuals is never taken into consideration because a psychiatrist is never provided to interrogate the detainees.

Immigrants are people with various problems since some might have lost their properties before deciding to seek refuge in the foreign countries. It is logical to take such individuals through frequent mental checkups to prevent cases of mental illness and psychological trauma. However, the detention facilities in the US are reluctant to help immigrants in recovering from mental stress (Mooney 2003, p. 6).

Just like in the US, detention facilities in Australia force immigrants to sign orders of removal that permit banishment without due process. Officials threaten detainees with severe punishment in case they fail to sign orders of removal. In Australia, detention facilities violate the rights of detainees because they fail to release them even after the orders of removal are ready.

Some detainees are segregated for refusing to cooperate with officials at the detention camps. Detainees found leaking information to the media are punished severely. Detainees face a serious challenge regarding communication. The detention facilities do not provide interpreters who would help them in understanding instructions.

Human and civil groups have pressurized the government to come up with laws that would guarantee the safety of individuals at the detention camps. The American Civil Liberties Union demands that the government should take over the responsibility of taking care of detainees while their cases are handled by the courts. The union demands that private organizations should not be given the chance of harboring detainees (Mooney & Jarrah 2004, p. 18).

International Reaction

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has been vocal in protecting the rights of detainees in the US and Australia. The commission argues that states should protect refugees. However, the commission has been keen on ensuring that immigrants are not subjected to unfair treatment. The agency intervenes through application of international laws and standards (Balikci 2004, p. 67).

One of the laws invoked whenever there is a conflict is the 1951 convention, which talks about the status of refugees. The 1951 law states that a refugee is someone with various problems because he or she is outside his or her country. Therefore, the foreign country should always ensure that such an individual is treated in a humane way. In this regard, the detention facilities in Australia and the US are compelled to provide basic needs to detainees.

The agency has always urged the detention facilities to ensure that immigrants are given adequate medical attention. The 1967 protocol is another law that relates to the status of refugees. The 1967 law demands that refugees should not be forced to return to their home countries because doing so would be endangering their lives (Sohne 2006, p. 21). The law demands further that the receiving countries must cooperate with the agency in ensuring that refugees enjoy their rights.

This shows that refugees have a number of rights contained in the 1967 law. Stewart detention camp is frequently urged to respect the 1967 law by providing medical care to detainees. In fact, article II of the 1967 law demands that detention facilities must cooperate with the agency in ensuring that refugee laws are followed. In 1984, a principle of non-refoulement was enacted, which reinforced the 1951 law on forceful deportation (Weiss 2003, p. 21).

Through the agency, detention facilities have been forced to comply in order to avoid international condemnation. This is the reason why detainees are subjected to pain and suffering whenever they are found discussing their plight with the media. The agency works closely with the hosting countries to ensure that detainees are not subjected to untold suffering (Stavropoulou 1998, p. 34). However, the agency should strengthen its surveillance capacity to ensure that private organizations such as Stewart in the US comply with the law.

Conclusion

Detainees in the US and Australia go through a number of challenges. However, international organizations such as the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and local civil groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union have played a critical role in ensuring that detainees are treated fairly.

In the US, civil rights groups have gone a notch higher to interview detainees in order to find a solution to their problem. Australian civil groups are yet to take action. However, the activities of the local and international institutions have not been successful given the fact that the issue of immigration is considered high politics.

List of References

Bagshaw, S & Paul, D 2004, Protect or Neglect Toward a More Effective United Nations Approach to the Protection of Internally Displaced Persons, Brookings-SAIS Project on Internal Displacement, Washington.

Balikci, A 2004, IDPs in Baku: A Qualitative Approach,’ Report prepared for World Bank, Canada, University of Montreal.

Cernea, M 2006, “Development-induced and conflict-induced IDPs: bridging the research divide”, Forced Migration Review Special Issue, Vol. 3, no. 3, pp 76-89

Cohen, R 2004, “The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement: An Innovation in International Standard Setting” Global Governance, Vol. 10, no. 1, pp 466-510

Evans, M 2007, “The Suffering is Too Great: Urban Internally Displaced Persons in the Casamance Conflict, Senegal”, Journal of Refugee Studies, Vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 60-85.

Kälin, W 2000 “Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement: Annotations”, Studies in Transnational Legal Policy, Vol. 1, no. 32, pp. 98-105

Kälin, W 2006 “The future of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement,” Forced Migration Review Special Issue, Vol. 2, no. 3, pp 19-54.

Lilly, D 2007, Camp management in IDP Collective Centers: The development of best practice, London, Camp Coordination Camp Management.

Mooney, E & Jarrah, B 2004, The Voting Rights of Internally Displaced Persons: The OSCE Region, Brookings Institution, Washington.

Mooney, E 2003 “Introduction,” Forced Migration Review, Vol. 17, no. 4, pp 5-6.

Sohne, SI 2006, Coping with Displacement: The Case of Internally Displaced Persons in Jinja, Uganda, The Fletcher School, Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy Thesis.

Stavropoulou, M 1998, “Will Peru’s displaced return? The forsaken people: Case studies of the internally displaced, The Brookings Institution, Washington.

Weiss, FP 2003, “Looking beyond emergency response,” Forced Migration Review, Vol. 17, no. 3, pp 19-20.

Project Summary

• Refugees self-sufficiency program is an initiative that is aimed at helping refugees at the Miami refugee center, mainly refugees from Iraq and Cuba, to learn computer skills, internet usage and improve their language skills to help them get employment.
• The project will involve setting up a refugee IT center at the Miami Refugee Center.
• The project will be spearheaded by the Association of University Students (AUS) in collaboration with the UNHCR, local NGO’s and volunteer groups.

Project Background

• The UNHCR defines a refugee as “Any person who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality or political opinion, is outside the country of his/her nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear or for reasons other than personal convenience, is unwilling to avail himself/herself for the protection of that country.” (UNHCR, 1985)
• The U.S military invasion of Iraq and Fidel Castro’s reign in Cuba resulted in Thousands of Iraqi and Cuban refugees being resettled in the U.S.
• Due to their race, language barriers lacks adequate computer knowledge and discrimination. The refuge has been unable to secure employment and adapt to the U.S culture.

Statement of the Problem

• The U.S lacks a national policy on refugee integration, limited and timely assistance is given to refugees to help them with their immediate needs. There are no policies to cater to long-term refugee integration (Dwyer, 2010).
• The refugees are usually victims of war and political discrimination. Most of them are unskilled in modern life practices and lack formal education. They face cultural adjustment problems and are unable to get formal employment due to their lack of formal education and language barriers.
• Refugees face rejection and hostilities from the Native Americans who are not open to foreign cultures and are rigid about foreign-born populations (Mayadas, 2005). They are discriminated against, oppressed, and denied employment opportunities due to their races, religion, and types of dressing.
• Refugee children, especially girls, face negligence and sexual harassment and are at risk of contracting STI’s and HIV/AIDS. They are also vulnerable to abuse through forced child labor in homesteads as house-helps. (Schmidt, 2004)

Project Objectives

• To help refugees gain adequate computer skills and learn proper English.
• To help refugees get employment.
• Protect and advocate for refugees in the case of discrimination.

Project Methodology

Integrating occupational information and computer technology

To address the issues of unemployment due to the language barrier, lack of computer skills, and knowledge of places to get jobs, the project is set to implement the following measures:

• An IT center is to be set up in the refugee camp. This will entail renting a hall in the camp vicinity of at least 20 square feet.
• The second step will involve the acquisition of 10 computers with minimum internet connectivity requirements from IBM Computers (My. Storman, 2012) and setting up a LAN.
• The computers will be pre-installed with Microsoft Office packages, and the latest Windows Operating System as these are used by most institutions and workplaces.
• Once the LAN is set up and connected to the internet, the computers will be bookmarked by the internet for job vacancies and automatic alerts on information on available jobs.
• Career search engines will be bookmarked and set as home pages for the IT Center computers.
• The AUS will mobilize and provide student volunteers with IT skills those taking Linguistics to provide services at the IT center. This will be an opportunity for students to gain experience in community development as an internship.
• The volunteers will guide and teach the refugees computer and internet skills and how to navigate the career search engines.
• A semi-commercial sized printer will be installed at the center for the printing of refugees’ CV and job application documents.
• Daytime and evening classes will be offered at the IT center for the refugees at a subsidized fee. Those unable to meet the fees will have free lessons and be required to pay back once they get jobs.

Exemplary nature of the project

• Computers will have pre-installed typing programs such as Mavis-beacon and programs that teach basic typing and use of computers to improve their typing skills and speed.
• Linguistics student volunteers from AUS and other volunteers will be on-site to help the refugees improve their English and communication skills.
• A website that may help refugees improve their English skills will also be subscribed to use with them.
• The project will work in partnership with Human Rights Activist groups that will advocate for the refugees in cases of discrimination. The project will seek cooperation with other umbrella bodies advocating for refugees such as the UNHCR (UNHCR, 2013) and Young Humanitarians Advocating for Refugees Worldwide (Walker, 2011) and key players in the Entertainment industry. The project will approach the entertainment industry Icons to be ambassadors of the project to change the American’s perspective of refugees.
• The UNHCR and participating local NGOs will take charge of making the applications for jobs for the refugees once they identify the jobs for which they are qualified.
• UNHCR and the local NGO’s that will include human rights activist groups will be responsible for calling the employers on behalf of the refugees whenever cases of discrimination will come to focus.

Project costs

Timeline

The time required for this project to be effective is outlined below.

Limitations of the project

• Student volunteers and other volunteer groups may not abide by the program for a long duration.
• It may be difficult to find a suitable hall within the center’s neighborhoods.
• Repair and maintenance of the computers may be a bit expensive to manage since the refugees will only pay a small fee.

Similar projects

There are numerous programs in place that help the refugees earn a living, these include:

Charity programs: The American Refugee Committee (ARC) is a charity organization that sources funding to help refugees (American Refugee Committee, 2011). This program, however, does not encourage self-sufficiency on the part of refugees.

The USRP Approach: This program emphasizes on the government employing refugee early to grant them economic sufficiency. This program has a limitation; it encourages refugees to be government depended.

References

Andy. (2012). Computer Hardware & Internet Connection Requirements . Web.

ARC, A. R. (2011). American Refugee Committee. Minneapolis.

Dwyer, T. (2010). Refugee Integration in The United States: Challenges and opportunities. Church World Service.

Mayadas, U. A. (2005). Assessment of Issues Facing Immigrants and Refugee Families. New York: Columbia University Press.

Schmidt, S. (2004). Separated Refugee Children in the United States: Challenges and Opportunities. Washington DC: BRidging Refugee Youths and Children’s services.

UNHCR. (2013). What We Do. Web.

UNHCR, U. N. (1985). The State of the World’s Refugees in Search for Solutions. New York: Oxford Universty Press.

Walker, C. (2011, August 6). Young Humanitarians Advocating For Refugees Worldwide. Web.

In what ways did Iowa play a unique role in welcoming refugees in the past? What surprises you about Governor Robert D Ray? How does this welcoming legacy continue today?

Iowa played a unique role in the reception of Vietnamese refugees in that it was the only state to actively offer asylum to these people (McCarthy, 2015). In many cases, other states either refused to provide accommodation or did so reluctantly. Governor Robert D. Ray’s position was bold and unique, as he did not lose any votes from such a generous offer (McCarthy, 2015). Instead, the refugees integrated into the Iowan communities and contributed to its economy. Nowadays, the hospitality of Iowans is still there, though not quite as prominently.

What valuable roles do refugees play in our economy (see Storm Lake article in particular)?

Refugees play an important part in the economic life of the Iowan community. In the 21st century, the American economy has to compete with enterprises across the world. Fierce competition and tapping into foreign labor markets drives wages down. Migrants keep the enterprises of Storm Lake competitive by working harder than locals, for less money (Cohen, 2017). Although such a situation upsets some people, the majority realizes that migrants did not drive the wages down; it was the destruction of unions and the mass exodus of enterprises to countries abroad (Cohen, 2017).

How has the welcoming legacy changed (according to the author)? What kinds of barriers to integration exist for refugees in Iowa today? What is at the root of this change?

The welcoming legacy changed due to government action rather than people being less welcoming of new faces trying to make a living. The lack of government support is the primary barrier, as was shown in the case with Burmese migrants in 2007 (McCarthy, 2015). Social services have been transformed and underfunded, making it that refugees can no longer integrate into the community as seamlessly as they did before. Without support for languages, social security, employment, and medical care, migrants feel ostracized and vulnerable in a new country (McCarthy, 2015).

Do you agree that Iowans have a welcoming spirit and sense of openness to newcomers such as refugees? Why or why not? I recognize that there is no easy answer to this question– you might even see both sides! In order to avoid generalizations, refer to news stories online (include link) or to personal experiences.

The issue of hospitality towards refugees is a complicated matter for the state of Iowa. On the one hand, its people have always been compassionate towards people in need and willing to lend a hand, just as they did in the case with the Vietnamese refugees in 1979 and the Burmese refugees in 2007. However, kindness and compassion are often at odds with personal benefit and self-preservation, which always comes to play once large foreign communities try integrating into a new society. McCarthy (2015) noticed that the amount of resources available to the Vietnamese in 1979 is significantly higher than that available to the Burmese people.

While that could be taken as a sign that Iowans have become less tolerant and hospitable towards refugees, there is a different side of the medal to the story as well. The US economy during 1970s-1980s was growing, with wages earned by an average worker being enough to support a middle-class lifestyle (Cohen, 2017).

However, due to the mass exodus of American companies, the destruction of labor unions, and government catering to the desires of big businesses, the wealth of the average American plummeted greatly. The average wages for a meat plant in Storm City remained the same as they were in the 1980s, instead of growing three times the amount (Cohen, 2017). Lack of employment, low wages, and the increasing number of migrants over the years have created a difficult economic situation and reduced the amount of money the state and individual counties received from tariffs and taxes, which could have been spent on programs to help assimilate refugees.

McCarthy (2015) claims that Iowan voters believe the government is not doing enough to help Burmese refugees the way they helped the Vietnamese 27 years ago. In other words, Iowans did not lose their welcoming spirit and their sense of openness to others. They just became poorer than they used to be during the golden age of America.

References

Cohen, P. (2017). Immigrants keep an Iowa meatpacking town alive and growing. New York Times. Web.

McCarthy, C. (2015). Response to refugees in Iowa has changed in 40 years. Iowa Watch. Web.

Subject and Thesis

The status of refugees in South Sudan is the urgent social problem of this state, and the role of certain segments of the population is often considered in academic literature from different standpoints. The subject of this work is the study of women’s empowerment in the country in question in order to ensure the greater rights and freedoms of this group. Based on the research by Andresen et al., women face a range of social problems in South Sudan, including elevated healthcare risks (701).

Additional interest in this topic is caused by the article by Elsheikh and Elamin, who argue that women empowerment is “crucial in achieving economic growth and the eradication of poverty” (194). The possibility of researching this topic may allow me to learn how to solve such a severe social problem as pressure on refugees. Improving the national self-awareness of the country and its development as a modern legal state is an urgent task. Accordingly, the participation of international organizations and official authorities is important in addressing the issue of refugee women’s equal rights in South Sudan, and this thesis is the background of the study.

Significance of the Topic

The importance of this topic is due to not only contradictory consequences that are caused by the inaction of local authorities but also an unacceptable example for the entire global legal community. Trenchard remarks that refugee women are under increased pressure from the indigenous population, although the official status of equality is to be provided by law. Living in separate camps that are similar to reservations imposes restrictions on the members of these communities and narrows their rights and opportunities significantly.

Children born in such conditions also have limited prospects for social development, which, in turn, may affect their health. Involving interested boards can be one of the potentially effective methods since both non-profit organizations and international agencies work to protect the freedoms and rights of the affected population. Thus, studying this topic and finding the ways of solving the problem in question may contribute to eliminating a number of challenges and helping citizens in need.

Value of the Sources Used

The sources used for this work may be taken from both academic literature and the media database. In authoritative journals, relevant interviews and reviews of this topic are given. For example, Akumu notes that refugee women in South Sudan are constantly undermined and want to be treated with understanding. Zambakari mentions ongoing social reforms in this state and focuses on ethnic issues, arguing that violence is an acute problem here (89).

Geleta considers those strategies that may help improve the situation in the region and notes microfinance as one of the steps (3). Nakash et al. support this position and add that solving economic issues can improve the current social situation in the state (1280). Finally, Hruby argues that the role of women in refugee camps deserves close attention since numerous cases of human rights violations take place there. Thus, all the considered sources may be utilized as a reasonable basis for research.

Quantitative Information

As quantitative data, it is required to provide statistical reports representing the current situation. The findings by Nakash et al. need to be used since the authors emphasize that 45% of refugee women in South Sudan were subjected to violence (1280). Also, it is essential to mention the country’s economic indicators in order to receive a comprehensive picture of the problem. As Elsheikh and Elamin state, “46.5 percent of the population is below the poverty line” (194). All these data are relevant when studying the topic and finding the ways out of the crisis.

Works Cited

Akumu, Patience. “Inside the World’s Largest Refugee Camp: ‘We Just Want to Go Home’.” The Guardian, 2018. Web.

Andresen, Ellen, et al. “Notes from the Field: Malnutrition and Elevated Mortality Among Refugees from South Sudan – Ethiopia, June–July 2014.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 63, no. 32, 2014, pp. 700-701.

Elsheikh, Samia, and Selma E. Elamin. “Women’s Economic Empowerment and Poverty: Lessons from Urban Sudan.” The Business & Management Review, vol. 7, no. 3, 2016, pp. 194-199.

Geleta, Esayas Bekele. The Microfinance Mirage: The Politics of Poverty, Social Capital and Women’s Empowerment in Ethiopia. Routledge, 2016.

Hruby, Denise. “These Mothers Are Building Homes in Refugee Camps.” National Geographic, 2018. Web.

Nakash, Ora, et al. “Exposure to Traumatic Experiences Among Asylum Seekers from Eritrea and Sudan During Migration to Israel.” Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, vol. 17, no. 4, 2014, pp. 1280-1286.

Trenchard, Tommy. “In Uganda’s Refugee Camps, South Sudanese Children Seek the Families They’ve Lost.” The New York Times. 2018. Web.

Zambakari, Christopher. “South Sudan and the Nation-Building Project: Lessons and Challenges.” National Democratic Reforms in Africa: Changes and Challenges, edited by Said Adejumobi, Springer, 2015, pp. 89-128.

The most common stereotypes related to immigrants are concerns raised by people about economics, culture, and violence. For example, some persons believe that refugees enter the country and take other people’s jobs, thus leaving many citizens without opportunities for employment. Other stigmas deal with supposed violence – the narrative that all immigrants are in the country illegally, and their behavior is criminal. Finally, the aspect of culture and its preservation arises often; people who come from different countries are believed to force their religion and traditions onto others, changing the historical background of the nation.

The majority of these stereotypes develop due to the lack of education and understanding of immigration and people’s relocation. For instance, the history of the US heavily focuses on the achievements of white people, while the origins of them coming to the continent are not emphasized. Moreover, the fear of being replaced as the dominant group is also prevalent in discussions. White people believe that by opening the borders and letting other cultures develop, they will lose the opportunity to preserve their own.

Suárez-Orozco and Suárez-Orozco (n.d.) explain that this fear arises every time a new wave of immigration occurs; it is often based on racist beliefs. One may suggest that the prejudice against immigrants grows when new ideas and traditions challenge one’s worldview. White people of European descent have a particular living experience that may differ significantly from that of a non-white immigrant.

Such stereotypes are dangerous on many levels, mostly because they increase interpersonal tension. Fear becomes the foundation for hatred, which, in turn, may escalate into violence and aggression. For example, the portrayal of immigrants as criminals who enter the country illegally has recently brought many problems to the people who wanted to seek refuge in the US. Gessen (2018) provides an example of news outlets showing a large group of people marching towards the US as a dangerous “caravan.” Various news sources declared these people a threat to border security and stated that they are a national emergency (Gessen, 2018).

Here, two significant stereotypes are exploited – the belief that these immigrants are committing a crime and that they are violent. Both of these statements are not true; immigration is a legal action, and their peaceful march was a cry for help and not an act of violence.

The instances of expressing biases also occur in real life, especially if the conversation concerns the latest news. I can recall an example when one of my friend’s brothers said that because of the immigrants coming into the country, many people would lose their job. I was mostly confused as to why he thought that it would happen. It is clear that people arriving in the country would need a job – but it also means that more people would need services and help.

As a result, new jobs would be needed to accommodate everyone’s needs. However, I also felt disappointed in the fact that somebody would deny a person a chance of moving to a place that they perceived as safe out of baseless fear. This is the main problem that should be overcome with dialogue and education. People who express concerns related to the problems of immigration should learn about the benefits of multiculturalism and newly arriving people. Here, education is the key to establishing an aware and supportive society.

References

Gessen, M. (2018). How the media normalizes Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric. The New Yorker. Web.

Suárez-Orozco, C., & Suárez-Orozco, M. (n.d.). What are the predominant stereotypes about immigrants today? Web.

Introduction

Refugees are people who run away from their countries to seek peace in foreign states because of natural or manufactured causes. Natural causes include catastrophes such as floods, plaques and earthquakes while manufactured causes are mainly civil wars and political unrests. These factors make individuals to seek secure places in foreign nations.

Australia is one of the worst hit states by the refugee problem mainly because of its strategic position. Most refugees from Middle East and Western Europe find the country to be convenient as far as safety is concerned. Australians on the other side find refugees and asylum seekers to be people who destabilize security and economic growth. This has led to publication of many materials analyzing the situation. Recently, the debate has taken a centre stage in both government and media.

Sharon Pickering, Common Sense and Original Deviancy: News Discourse and Asylum Seekers in Australia

The writer examines the issues facing refugees and asylum seekers in Australia. Refugees have been referred to as deviants in most instances, especially by the media and politicians. Labeling of refugees as deviants, have led to creation of mandatory detention centers for the new arrivals of unauthorized persons.

The courts have offered some challenges to the policy and practices of immigration laws. The laws serve to further limit resort to administrative or judicial review for adverse determination decisions (Pickering 170-171). Australia’s cultural ties with Europe and North America cause the situation.

They find Arabic culture to be incompatible with theirs hence making them uncomfortable with refugees. From 1997 to 1999, the administrators had busy time monitoring asylum seekers and refugees in Australia. Immigration and asylum is a federal concern, the political system in place led by Howard’s Liberal Coalition government ruled federally. The agreement was reached where the history of bipartisan (consensus) dominated the government institutions. (Pickering 171)

The immigrants are viewed as a threat to national security; the claims have contributed to validation and invocation of repressive state responses. The refugees caught arriving in the state on boats is treated as intruders and they are subjected to harsh punishment by law.

Some segments of society suggest that Australian government should set aside a few thousand places in annual refugee intake to be sold to the highest bidders. They further claim that refugees pay crime syndicates to bring them to Australia illegally and to instruct them in the most effective ways of taking advantage of comparatively liberal immigration and welfare programs (Pickering 179).

The statuses of genuine refugees are determined by social harmony, national interests and integration rather than the problem causing the refugees to fly from their original places. People endowed with resources to invest and presumed to be law abiders are treated differently. They might have run away from their states because of natural factors and for that case they should be refugees but their statuses are elevated because of their wealth. (Pickering 179-180)

Goode Eric and Nachman Ben-Yehuda, Moral Panics: The Social Construction of Deviance

The writer starts his argument by stating that societies are sometimes faced with unnecessary panic. Members of society believe that behaviors of specific members are problematic. The evil doers wound the substance and fabric of the social body. The members of society turn up in large numbers to condemn the evil actions, this leads to a crisis in the society since evil behaviors are common to all members of society (Knudsen 89).

The conflicts are a threat to the well being, basic values and interests of the society. Deviance is associated to foreigners; the feeling of substantial section of society is that refugees pose a threat to the society and to the moral order. Consequently, something must be done to check this (Goode and Nachman 31).

The writer cautions that we should be careful and try to avoid hoc explanations of assuming before head that collective and social stress must automatically be present for moral panics to break out (Goode and Nachman 32). All societies suffer from stress and it will be negative for government institutions to blame one race or ethnic group for prevalent social problems such as crime. Even without foreigners, these problems would be witnessed.

Political Institutions

The Judiciary

The role of judiciary is to arbitrate on cases that face society from to time. It should not apply double standards in interpreting the constitution. All issues should be treated equally since crime is a personal problem. Criminals should not be associated to their ethnic groups or races, everyone should be judged independently. Both refugees and hosts break the law only that hosts are taken to approved schools for behavior correction while foreigners are taken to prisons.

The judiciary needs to advice the government on the best ways possible about class divisions. The Australian society is differentiated in terms of race and ethnicity. Some races are superior to others, which have complicated security in the country. The judiciary should come to the reality of believing that a suspect is innocent unless proven guilty. The police therefore should not harass foreigners instead but they should provide security to them.

The executive

The cabinet should venture deep into the problem of refugees in the country and come up with sound policies that will cool down the high tempers.

The Australians view refugees as having a bad motive of snatching away their opportunities while refugees offer cheap labor because of lacking alternative means of survival. The cabinet should come up with policies that facilitate peaceful coexistence. The Australians should feel secure in their territory while foreigners should feel that they sought proper refuge that guarantees peace and freedom.

The policies made should seek a win-win situation for both refugees and hosts (Herman 6). To achieve all these, the government should shun away from decisive politics and rise to the occasion to be counted as custodian of public good. Policies made should not be one sided that is, it should not favor either hosts or refugees, those favoring hosts might promote national interests but the state would not achieve international interests.

Conclusion

While the first writer examines the consequences that refugee ship causes to individuals, the second criticizes the behavior of hosts who view refugees as being responsible for prevalent socio-economic problems in the society. From the two articles, it is clear that the problem of refugee is not new in Australia.

It has been going on for quite some time and it is the high time that the government should seize the opportunity to settle the problem. The existing international law is conducive to the government. The government should utilize it to solve issues related to foreign relations (McLaughlin 43).

Works Cited

Goode, Eric and Nanchman, Ben-Yehuda. Moral Panics: The Social Construction of Deviance, Oxford: Blackwell, 1994: 31-65.

Herman, Chomsky. Manufacturing Consent: The political Economy of Mass Media, New York: Vintage, 1988.

Knudsen, Daniel. Mistrusting refugees. Berkley: University of California Press, 1995.

McLaughlin, George. Refugees and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Harklow: Longman, 1998.

Pickering, Sharon. Common Sense and Original Deviancy: News Discourse and Asylum Seekers in Australia, Journal of Refugees Study, 14.2 2001: 169-186.

Australia has been swift in responding to humanitarian needs of the people in times of crisis. This is evident when cyclone wrecked havoc in Samoa and Niue in 2004. There were indeed rapid and coordinated responses.

This was made possible with the urgency with which AusAID and relevant NGOs relayed the information on community needs. In a matter of time medical supplies and other necessities were made available. EMA and AusAID undertook to work together with other relevant national authorities.

Under this partnership, water containers and tablets used for purifying water were sent to the affected people. Other development partners like France and Newzealand also joined this campaign. Australia has also contributed to peace building efforts in Sri Lanka that has had civil wars for almost a quarter of a century.

Australia oversees the post conflict rehabilitation processes to refugees through International Organization for Migration. However, Australia for quite sometime has been thought to be a violator of refugees basic human rights, observes Dharmanan (1).

The country has been in the limelight for hindering multiculturalism and for its hard line stance on individuals seeking asylum. UNICEF’s assertion that the living condition of immigrant children in Europe is slightly deplorable compared to that in Australia has helped spark the latest controversy into this issue.

Statistics show that almost 2 million children aged below 17 years living in immigrant families comprise 33% of Australian population. These children’s living standards were similar to those children brought up in Australia.

This is also the same for the kind of education they receive. Despite the fact that the Australian government has scored relatively well in other spheres, their immigration policy has remained the most wanting (Ziffer, para. 3).

A proper ventilation of Australian humanitarian record reveals that she is not an international leader as she is purported to be in immigration perspective. This is evidenced at times of wars when the numbers of refugees swell, their response has not been so promising.

In the year 2007-08 a rickety 7.3 % of refugees were included in the humanitarian program (Australian Bureau of Statistics, pp. 1). Further research indicates that in the last quarter of the 20^th century, Australian humanitarian intake was so negligible in comparison to the country’s overall allowance.

Australian government has only softened its immigration policies on skilled immigrant hence the surge in number of those falling under the category of skilled migration program.

The statistics on living standards of immigrant children was prompted by the fact that the parents of these children were skilled migrant workers who had good education with beautiful pay packages hence ease in settling. It is notable that a reasonable percentage of these migrant workers were British citizens.

Some major challenges that refugees in Australia face are racial and cultural discrimination. Alternatively they argue that these refugees can return to their home countries when normalcy returns or as well be integrated in third world countries (ACIL consulting, pp. 1).

This essay seeks to interrogate the kind of political response is needed given Australia’s poor record for dealing with humanitarian rights of refugees. Issues related to this allegation will be highlighted and their relevance to political institutions and democracy identified. A lot of credence will be given to coherence and soundness of argument based on evidence of wide research.

In order to curtail the escalating humanitarian crisis, the Australian government came up with Humanitarian action policy of 1995 (AusAID, pp. 1). The policy basically touches on protection of human life, his or her health, and the physical well being. It recognizes the relationship between the humanitarian activities and the aid policies.

The policy underscores the importance of development programs integrating risks created by disasters and conflict with a view to reducing levels of poverty thereby creating sustainable development. By the virtue of the fact that humanitarian assistance goes hand in hand with security, the policy has integrated aspects of strategies of reducing poverty.

The policy seeks to ensure that humanitarian response is coordinated. Poverty is further fuelled when there is inadequate insecurity and exposure to hazards. The action plan has to be integrated with other aspects so that poverty and conflict can be checked.

The policy seeks the input of the government and concerned communities. The action policy will embody unpredictable events and the HIV/AIDS. It is for a fact that poverty and poor governance exposes people to disasters as seen with countries whose development records are low.

This is also true for countries that depend practically on primary production. The poor become the worst hit when disasters occur because they lack resources and government good will with which to address these issues. Countries with low or medium development become most hit with disasters.

Disasters impact on economies and peoples livelihoods by damaging their belongings and their means of production. Individuals who have been affected take too long to recover from these devastating effects.

Political, social, and economic reasons that fuel violent conflicts are so prevalent in developing or less developed countries with no democratic space and poor record of accountability. Such conflicts are witnessed in terms of civil wars as opposed to cross border wars.

Such civil wars are quite often prompted by inequitable distribution of resources, unemployment, and divisive policies. Countries that host these refugees have to learn to endure the extra burden exerted on their scarce resources. The Australian government has since endorsed good humanitarian donorship.

The government in delivering humanitarian assistance tries to be neutral by ensuring that humanitarian workers do take sides in a conflict. Humanitarian donorship implementation plan ensures the government remains accountable in undertaking her humanitarian duties.

The policy goals are embedded on principle of burden sharing. Protection of life and alleviation of suffering remains the government top priority. The government also endeavors to maintain human dignity while assisting refugees in recovering from conflicts.

The government emphasizes the need for enhancing effective response, prevention and preparedness for disasters. Their primary focus in geographical perspective is the Asia pacific region.

This does not deter them from responding to emergencies that do not fall in the Asia pacific region. In this respect, their response would be guided by the magnitude of the disaster at hand and their ability to effectively contribute in such circumstances.

When the Australian humanitarian services are to be offered in areas that they do not traditionally operate in, the concerned department works in liaison with the foreign affairs ministry and trade to sort out the diplomatic issues involved in such operations.

Attorney general’s input ma also be sought when issues pertaining to international humanitarian law need to be corroborated. The Australian government provides material assistance to safeguard the victim’s life and health and alleviate suffering.

It also works with relevant UN agencies, international corporations, community based organizations to achieve coherent and strategic response. The government also advocates for access to affected groups so that they can receive humanitarian help.

The government also beefs up the security of humanitarian aid workers as well as the security of displaced persons or refugees. Finally it also engages in training initiatives.

Agencies for humanitarian aid advocate for respect for international law, refugee, and human rights law by developing an insight into how humanitarian law can be integrated into humanitarian practice. It undertakes to participate in international fora.

Alternatively, people who take part in humanitarian assignments are sponsored to study humanitarian law. Finally, the agency promotes international humanitarian law in all government policy settings.

To guarantee the safety of humanitarian workers, the government provides an impetus for creation of appropriate security and evacuation plans, giving their input in coordinating complex emergencies. The government also offers curriculum for training of humanitarian workers.

The government also seeks to bridge the gap between development and humanitarian programs to rest the case of insecurity and enhance transitional planning. This she intends to achieve by reintegration of AusAID activities into different parts of the country; coming up with guidelines of assessing their humanitarian activities.

By doing this they intend to analyze the specific needs of the vulnerable groups. Creation of a link between development and humanitarian programme helps the government to come up with strategies that will stem people’s vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in areas affected by the crises.

Finally, the linkage helps the government to enter into long term funding agreement with humanitarian agencies to enhance flexibility and response to emergency. This helps the government to plan even better.

The policy plan also put the government and the local communities in a position where they can come up with their own capacity to mitigate the effects of disasters.

This is done by appreciating the role the local communities and devolved government play in minimizing the effects of disasters; bolstering disaster management offices organizational capacity; empowering the local community to enable them combat the effects of disasters; ensuring both sexes are given opportunity in disaster management programs; integrating ways that communities use in mitigating the effects of disaster; careful evaluation I order to deduce if there are benefits when the government and its development partners engage in developmental and humanitarian efforts to alleviate disaster.

The policy action plan also seek to enhance stronger international, regional and local partnerships to aid in faster mobilization of resources by extending funds to NGO’s to enhance their capacity to handle disasters; supporting international red cross and red crescent; supporting United Nation’s agencies concerned with handling humanitarian crisis; strengthening the government tie with other development partners like the international corporation; and keeping in touch with the donor agencies.

The policy action plan underscores the need for fully involving both the gender to ensure that their expertise is fully utilized. This can be guaranteed by coming up with guidelines and best practices that would ensure that both men and women are given equal opportunities in mitigation of crisis necessitated by disasters.

This action plan nevertheless seeks to encourage the implementation of UN six point plan that tries to stem out sexual exploitation during disasters. The action plan intends to reduce the vulnerability of those affected by disaster to HIV/AIDS infection by ensuring that HIV/AIDS analysis becomes part and parcel of those issues that have to be considered in implementing humanitarian action.

Moreover, strategies should be developed to make HIV/AIDS prevention program a part of relief program. The Policy action plan also contemplates improving the input of military personnel and other actors in humanitarian situations by instituting consultation, sharing of information, assigning of tasks, and joint planning.

The humanitarian actors can also come up with a curriculum for training peacekeepers and other personnel whom their services are used in times of emergency. Before military officers are involved in these activities, conformity to international humanitarian law has to be interrogated.

Any military personnel involved must know that they are accountable to civilian authorities. Australia has also come up with a policy that seeks to integrate refugees into countries of first asylum.

Refugees settling in Australia for the first time can seek the services of Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council. This body was set up in 1997. They offer expert advice on refugee and humanitarian issues. Its membership is drawn from people who have extensively worked with refugees (Department of Immigration and multicultural affairs, pp. 1).

In fact quite a number are refugees themselves. They do not represent community organizations or states. They ensure that there is steady flow of information especially on issues touching on settlement policy from the central government to the community organizations (Minister for Immigration and Multicultural affairs 1).

They also advise minister on matters that relate to how adequate are the government services to refugees residing in Australia, how humanitarian entrants should be housed, how their settlement services should be planned, how these families should be supported and issues relating to their employment (Department of immigration and citizenship, pp. 1).

Works Cited

ACIL Consulting, Impact of Migrants on the Commonwealth Budget, 1999.

Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1999 Year Book Australia, Number 81, ABS, Canberra, 1999.

Australian Government AusAID, Humanitarian Action Policy. 2005.

Australian Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Refugee and Humanitarian Issues Australian Response. Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Australian Citizenship, Fact Sheet 66, 2000.

Dharmanan, Mala, “What looks like a welcome hides a wall of inhumanity” Prevention Action, 2009.

Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, 1998-99 Migration (Non-Humanitarian) Program Outcome, Media Release MPS 116/99, 1999.

Ziffer, Dan. Australia’s human rights record under attack. 2009. Web.