Asylum Seekers In Australia Essay

769 Words2 Pages

Australia is a democratic country. A principal drawback of a modern democracy is that it often tends to overlook the interests of those least empowered. Among those most harshly dealt with in Australia are the poor, the marginalised and the asylum seeker. Asylum seekers and refugees count among those who remain ‘othered’ by Australian society and continue to suffer through an inability to exercise their rights and an existence that is dehumanised. This essay describes the human impact of Australia’s immigration policy and tells the powerful story of a voiceless girl. In doing so it highlights the general invisibility of asylum seekers in the eyes of the law and the desperate situations they face. What is at stake here is not just the persecution …show more content…

By force of the Migration Act 1958 they must remain in detention until they are given a visa or are removed from Australia. The government and the media refer to them as ‘illegals’, but the fact is that to come to Australia without authority and seek asylum is not an offence against Australian law. To the contrary, Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees to every human being the right to 2 Migration Act 1958. Those who come to Australia trying to exercise that right are locked up in desert camps or, under the Pacific Solution, in remote islands. As an example, an Iranian asylum seeker Mojgan Shamsaliipoor, had been finishing her high school education in Yoronga State High School on release from the Brisbane Immigration Accommodation centre. She was giving hope and a change to start a new life outside the immigration accommodation. However, about 2 or 3 months ago, she was forcibly transferred to a Darwin detention centre, even without a change to say goodbye to her husband. Mojgan is one of the many asylum seekers who have fought that Australia will be their dream place, however were again mistreated. This clearly demonstrates that Australia recognises the law before the principle of equality and

More about Asylum Seekers In Australia Essay

Open Document