Analysis And Documentation Of Refugee Issues In Australia Case Study

ANALYSIS AND DOCUMENTATION OF REFUGEE ISSUES IN AUSTRALIA
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Introduction
Most people hardly wish to leave their homes, families, and friends. In the human history, wars and civil conflicts have been the major causes of refugees in the World. Australia is one of the rich countries endowed with wealth and natural resources. Unfortunately, the country's potential and preoccupation has been channeled towards the management of refugees from the Middle East. Every year, thousands of refugees make their way across the sea with the hope of finding asylum in Australia. Australia is a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, even though acceptance of refugees and their resettlement has not been incorporated into the country’s constitution. As such, there have been debates about how Australia treats asylum seekers and the tight restrictions that have made many people including children to find asylum in Australia. According to the Australian Human Rights Commission, more than five million Syrians have crossed the sea towards Australia, and some are still leaving their country to seek temporary or permanent resettlement in Australia. Syria was once a peaceful country with oil as mineral resources until the Civil War that broke out in 2011. Ever since millions of people have been fleeing the country to seek asylum in foreign lands, and Australia remains one of the prioritized destinations. The present study explores the case of refugees in Australia with a focus on Syria as the country of origin. The study explores the push factors for refugees in Syria and Australia's refugee policies and their implications for people seeking asylum, especially from war-torn Syria.[McAdam, Jane. “Australia and Asylum Seekers.” International Journal of Refugee Law, 25:3, (2013). 437.Awad, Amin. “The $6 Billion Syrian Refugee Crisis Remains the Largest In The World. Let's Not Forget Those Most In Need.” The Nation. /opinion/comment/the-6-billion-syrian-refugee-crisis-remains-the-largest-in-the-world-let-s-not-forget-those-most-in-need-1.724349] []
Factors Leading to Refugee Exodus in Syria
The primary factor for the refugee crisis in Syria is the Civil War that started in 2011. According to Awad, World Human Rights Commission has identified more than 13.5 million asylum seekers that need help. Europe remains the target for refugees who are in dire need of humanitarian assistance to be resettled after Syria became inhabitable. Syrian Civil War started in 2011 when protesters demanded President Al-Assad to resign due to brutality associated with his government. Syrians took to streets demanding the government to end its brutal force against the civilians. When it became evident that Assad’s government was not willing to end the war, former military armies and civilians formed the Free Syrian Army to fight Assad’s forces. Syrian Free Army comprises of rebel forces sharing the common goal of bringing democracy to Syria. The group shares similar ideologies of overthrowing the oppressive regime. Since 2011, Syria has become inhabitable for residents who are finding it difficult to call Syria home.[“Syrian Refugee Crisis: Facts, FAQs, and how to help.” World Vision, 2018. /refugees-news-stories/syrian-refugee-crisis-facts.]
The complexity of the Syrian Civil War is not all about the civilians demanding to overthrow the government. There are other groups such as Islamic State (IS) living in the region, and they have taken advantage of the instability to make Syria inhabitable. According to Al-Rifai, IS group has been seeking to make Syria an Islamic State. Additionally, the Kurdish group which wants to establish an independent state in Syria has also taken advantage of the instability to push for establishing an independent country within Syria. As a result, the rebel groups are not only fighting the government, but they are also fighting against one another due to conflicts of interests in their goals and aims. Several factors under the umbrella of war are making young people and the old alike to seek asylum overseas.[]
Most of the asylum seekers are propelled by safety concerns for their children. According to Winsor, the government and extremist groups have been condemned by the UN f000or use of child soldiers in battlefields. Syrian asylum seekers are concerned about cultural change and discrimination in the foreign land, but security concerns back in their home country do not allow them to sit back and watch their children and their women raped. The state of war in the country has placed the Additionally; young people flee Syria because they are afraid of being recruited into rebel groups. Just as mentioned above, there are several rebel groups in Syria, and everyone is fighting to win the fight. Young people are at the highest risk of being recruited into these rebel groups. ISIS is fighting for religious reasons, and the Kurdish group is fighting for political reasons. The government, on the other hand, is fighting to neutralize the rebel forces. Most of those fleeing the country are viewed as traitors because they do not want to stay behind and fight for their country. All the different groups hold different ideologies and those staying behind have no alternative but to subscribe to any of the extremist groups. Another reason for fleeing Syria is for the search for necessities. The war has destroyed the economy of Syria, leaving people with no means to access necessary resources for production. The City of Aleppo once viewed as an economic hub has already fallen, and there are minimal chances to rebuild it.[Winsor, Ben. “A Brief History of the Syrian War.” SBS, 2016. /news/explainer/brief-history-syrian-warKenny, Anne, Mary. “Explainer: how Australia decides who is a Genuine Refugee.” The Conversation. http://theconversation.com/explainer-how-australia-decides-who-is-a-genuine-refugee-72574Daniel, Dorcas. “Refugee and Asylum Seeker Facts.” Australian Red Cross, 2018. /get-involved/take-action/help-refugees/facts] []
The Means of applying for Refugee Status in Australia
The Australian Human Rights Commission has set standards which are in line with the International Human Rights Convention for determining and facilitating refugee status for those with a valid visa. According to Daniel, people seeking asylum in Australia have a responsibility of making a formal application which has to be confirmed and processed at a fee of $35.The application form has one hundred and two questions. Australian law specifies that the country has an obligation of offering a protection visa to anyone that has arrived in the country. People with valid visa have two options of applying for refugee status. The first option is through the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. Applicants must state their identity and claims before the department reviews their application to determine whether they qualify for refugee status or not. The Department holds the right to accept or reject the application. In case the application is rejected, the applicant can review the application through the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT). AAT reviews the status of the applicant independently, and if it determines that the person qualifies for protection, the department reviews the process and grants the applicant refugee status. The applicant can go higher to take legal action against the department and AAT if he feels that the process w...