Debunking Myths about Asylum Seekers

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: Myth 1 - Boat People are Queue Jumpers : Fact: In Iraq and Afghanistan, there are no queues for people to jump. Australia has no diplomatic representation in these countries and : supports the International coalition of nations who continue to oppose these regimes and support sanctions against them. Therefore, there : is no standard refugee process where people wait in line to have their applications considered. Few countries between the Middle East : and Australia are signatories to the 1951 Refugee Convention, and as such asylum seekers are forced to continue to travel to another : country to find protection. : People who are afraid for their lives are fleeing from the world’s most brutal regimes including the Taliban in Afghanistan and Sadaam : Hussein’s dictatorship in Iraq. Antonio Domini, Head of UN Humanitarian Program in Afghanistan, states that Afghanistan is one of the most : difficult places in the world in which to survive : Myth 2 - Asylum Seekers are Illegal : Fact: This is untrue. Under Australian Law and International Law a person is entitled to make an application for refugee asylum in : another country when they allege they are escaping persecution. Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that : "Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution." : People who arrive on our shores without prior authorisation from Australia, with no documents, or false documents are not illegal. They : are asylum seekers - a legal status under International Law. Many Asylum Seekers are forced to leave their countries in haste and are : unable to access appropriate documentation. In many cases oppressive authorities actively prevent normal migration processes from : occurring. ‘Illegals’ are people who overstay their visas. The vast majority of these in Australia are from western countries, including 5,000 : British tourists. : Myth 3 - Australia Already Takes Too Many Refugees : Fact: Australia receives relatively few refugees by world standards. In 2001 Australia will receive only 12 000 refugees through its human-itarian : program. This number has remained static for three years, despite the ever-increasing numbers of refugees’ worldwide. Australia : accepted 20 000 refugees each year at the beginning of the 1980’s. : According to Amnesty International 1 in every 115 people on earth are refugees, and a new refugee is created every 21 seconds. Refugees : re-settle all over the world. However, the distribution of refugees across the world is very unequal. : • Tanzania hosts one refugee for every 76 Tanzanian people (1:76) : • Britain hosts one refugee for every 530 British people (1:530) : • Australia hosts one refugee for every 1583 Australian people (1:1583) : Myth 4 - We’re Being Swamped by Hordes of Boat People : Fact: 300 000 refugees arrived in Europe to seek asylum last year. In contrast, 4174 reached Australia by boat or plane. In 2000, Iran and : Pakistan each hosted over a million Afghan refugees. The real burden of assisting refugees is borne in the main by the world’s poorest : nations. : Myth 5 - They’re Not Real Refugees Anyway : Fact: 97% of applicants from Iraq and 93% of applicants from Afghanistan seeking asylum without valid visas in Australia in 1999 were : recognised as genuine refugees. Therefore, under Australian law they were found to be eligible to stay in Australia. Generally, 84% of all : asylum seekers are found to be legitimate refugees and are able to stay in Australia.

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