Postby maccatak11 » Thu Jun 23, 2011 11:03 am
The thing that annoys me is that when people hear the word 'asylum seeker' they automatically think boat person.
I don't know the figures, but Australia accepts plenty of asylum seekers who come by plane (and i believe its a fairly large majority too), not in a rickety boat from Indonesia, many of whom are skilled and contribute to Australian society when they come.
Its a vicious cycle. People coming to Australia are met with hostility and unfavorable attitudes because they don't 'fit in' with Australian society, but its these very attitudes that prevent asylum seekers from doing so.
I am fortunate enough to have taught a number of students from a family of Afghan immigrants who arrived in Australia after a few years on the run from the Taliban in Pakistan. They had been displaced from their home in Afghanistan.
One of the young lads came into year 10, having had no formal schooling in his entire life before now - he had worked as a goat herder before he came here. He is now at University studying engineering. Another family, who arrived with the first lad consisted of 4 kids, 3 boys and a girl. The three oldest have all finished school in the past three years, and are all attending university in Adelaide. Two are doing engineering, and another doing graphic design. The youngest lad, in year 11 now, will also go to university when he finishes school.
I should mention, that not all of the family members from this family made it out here to Australia. This big family had an older brother (or possibly two, im not sure) who stayed in Afghanistan - they haven't seen or heard from him since they came to Australia. This family became a part of the community in my town. The lads played cricket, and dabbled in Aussie rules, and the younger lad (in year 11 now) travels to Adelaide to play soccer for a junior grade of one of the Adelaide premier league sides.
I was lucky enough to attend a kayaking camp with one of the older siblings from this family. Some of the stories he told around the campfire were so amazing, and heartbreaking. The fact that he had seen countless dead bodies, just lying on the side of the road. The fact that the penalty for a starving family who stole a loaf of bread was having their hands cut off. And the fact that without the support of the Australian community into which they were placed, they would be fleeing, uneducated and possibly dead.
This family is extremely grateful for the opportunities that they have come their way, and are making the best of them too.
I guess what im trying to get at is that ignorant people believe that asylum seekers come to our country simply to be free-loaders off our system, and that they only choose to come here because Australia is better. I wonder how many people who think this have listened to some of the stories that these people tell. I wonder if people think it would be an easy decision to leave family members behind in a dangerous war torn place to come and start a new life in Australia - not for themselves, but because they don't want their children to grow up in the same conditions that they had to endure.
Hate the people smugglers, who soullessly profit off the hopes and dreams of the worlds strugglers, not the people who come here. I havent seen the documentary that you are talking about, but i think that its an excellent idea to place ourselves in the shoes of people who are without many of the things that we take for granted.
Half of the reason that i voted labor at the last election (besides education policies) was because of Tony Abbotts ridiculous approach to the issue of asylum seekers. His scare-mongering set Australia so far backwards on the issue its not funny. His 'stop the boats' line every five minutes made me cringe every time.
Riskers gamble, experts calculate.
