Refugees and Asylum Seekers 11C

Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Introduction

  • Refugee health is a mainstream issue.
  • Refugees are a smaller group compared to other immigrants.
    • Australia's upper limit is approximately 17,005 refugees per year.
    • Compared to 90,000 permanent visa holders and 500,000 total immigrants.

Learning Objectives:

  • Define refugee and asylum seeker.
  • Articulate the health impacts of being a refugee.
  • Describe the purpose of health assessments before arrival in Australia.

Definition of a Refugee

  • Defined by the UN Convention on Refugees (1951).
  • A refugee is someone who:
    • Has a well-founded fear of persecution.
    • Reasons for persecution: race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.
    • Is outside their country of nationality.
    • Is unable or unwilling to seek protection from that country due to fear.
    • May not have a nationality and is unable to return to their habitual residence.

Exclusions from the Definition

  • Stateless people:

    • Often excluded from humanitarian programs, including third-country resettlement.
    • Governments may argue that stateless people are the responsibility of another state (e.g., Rohingya in Myanmar).

  • Gender and Sexual Orientation:

    • The definition does not explicitly include gender or sexual orientation.
    • Women facing cultural practices harmful to their rights may not be covered.
    • Example: Women from countries where they may face danger or death.

  • Children:

    • The definition, created during the Cold War, focused on individual persecution.
    • Children persecuted as a group may not be covered.

  • Climate Change:

    • Those displaced by climate change cannot claim refugee status under the convention.
    • Climate disasters are linked to political instability.

  • Violence and Ungovernability:

    • People fleeing countries due to violence and criminal activity often not covered.
    • Persecution by criminal syndicates may not qualify under the convention.
Responses to Exclusions

  • Cartagena Declaration and African Declaration:

    • Update the convention to include civil breakdown as a reason for asylum.

  • Pacific Nations:

    • Exploring climate change as a reason for humanitarian acceptance.

Asylum Seeker Defined

  • Someone who asks for protection as a refugee from a country that has signed the UN Refugee Convention.
  • It is a legal right to ask for asylum in signatory countries.
  • Asylum is requested after crossing a border into a safe country.
  • Australia's island status means most asylum seekers arrive by boat.
  • Most refugees worldwide live in countries bordering their country of origin.

Migrant Defined

  • Someone who chooses to move to a new country freely, not due to persecution or fear.

UN Convention Signatories

  • Countries in yellow (mainly the U.S.) initially did not sign the convention but signed the 1967 protocol.
  • Countries in dark green (Cambodia) are signatories in Southeast Asia.
  • Madagascar signed the initial convention in 1951, obliging them to look after people that survived the Second World War.
Implications of Not Signing
  • Countries that haven't signed the convention:
    • Afghanistan route: If refugees travel west from Afghanistan, the closest signatory country is Australia.
    • There is no incentive for countries like Indonesia or Vietnam to sign the convention.
    • If they sign, Australia might deport asylum seekers back to those countries.

Role of UNHCR

  • The UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) works with countries that have not signed the convention.
  • They process asylum seekers, but these countries are reluctant to resettle them.

Challenges in Refugee Health

  • Refugee health provides a window into global challenges.

Current Refugee Situations

  • Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh:

    • The largest refugee camp in the world, housing Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
    • Conditions are challenging due to climate, safety, and rapid expansion.
    • Repatriation to Myanmar is unpopular and unsafe.
    • The Rohingya are a forgotten refugee group.

  • Mediterranean Crossing:

    • The most dangerous crossing from Libya to Italy.
    • High death rate due to people smugglers and pirates.

Global Response to Refugee Needs

  • Only a small percentage (0.002%) of refugees are settled in third countries.
  • Most refugees settle in neighboring, often poor, countries.
Refugee Resettlement Countries
  • Major countries:
    • Australia
    • Canada
    • The U.S.
    • Note: Japan takes only 27 people a year.
Current Numbers
  • Canada has decreased their annual intake, but is still a higher annual intake than Australia
  • The U.S. numbers have declined significantly under the Trump administration.
  • Canada currently has the largest third-country resettlement program.

58,000,00058,000,000

  • The total number of refugees far exceeds resettlement capacity.