Physical and Emotional Health of Asylum Seekers Arriving in Australia by Boat - Essay Example

Physical and Emotional Health of Asylum Seekers Arriving in Australia by Boat Student’s Name: Institution: Instructor: Subject: Physical and Emotional Health of Asylum Seekers Arriving in Australia by Boat Asylum seekers would describe themselves as refugees but this is not the case since they stay in hope to be refugees as they await a decision on their application to become refugees. They remain as asylums until granted the right to become refugees. Once recognized by the convention, refugees have different rights to health, wealth, social welfare and others but this will depend with the host country. An asylum seeker is a person who is seeking refuge or asylum and has asked to be given formal and legal refugee status. Without the legal status, the asylum seekers often find certain legal and legal rights curtailed. They also experience fear and uncertainty on whether their asylum status will be accepted or rejected and hence leading to their deportation. Countries that have signed the United Convention of Refugees are obliged to consider the application of anyone who applies for refugee status depending on the evidence. This is never an easy task and it is inevitable that the quality of decision making is variable and some people, although living with the fear of persecution in their own country genuinely, may be refused asylum. The mental and physical health of asylum seekers is important in establishing trust and effective communication. Research has indicated that asylum seekers worldwide report a high rate of pre-migration trauma and therefore trauma related mental health problems. In Australia, there is consistent evidence that the process involved in seeking asylum is difficult and stressful and therefore causing anxiety and high levels of stress. Such long processes increase the risk of psychiatric disorder, increased anxiety and depression. Australia’s stance on immigration has been riddled with controversy for a very long period. After a flash flood of boats arriving in the country, the government introduced the grimly named pacific solution which diverted asylum seekers arriving by boat to remote detention centers scattered around the Pacific Ocean. To the dismay of human rights activists and bodies, the processing of their status to refugees took so long that some stayed in the camps for more than two years. To date, asylum seekers arriving by boat, always referred to as the ‘boat people’ are still shuffled to these remote islands while their papers are being processed. Detainees in such remote islands often experience fear of being told to return home and this causing serious to very serious stress. Language difficulties according to research also contribute greatly to the mental health of asylum seekers. The impact this detention has o adolescents and children is even worse. The observed disturbances among this category are separation, anxiety, disruptive conduct, sleep walking and in some cases impaired cognitive development. The parents of such children are faced with major depression and this would sometime result to self harm in some cases. The children always carry a sense of shame and also a feeling of injustice and boredom. Sudden and upsetting memories of the events in detention cause distress in adults and children. Increased anger and feeling hopeless also experienced by the asylum seekers arriving by boat (Robjant, Hassan & Katona, 2009). It is important to note that under the United Convention of Human Rights, Australia being part of it, allows the unauthorized entry of persons seeking asylum. Hence, asylum seekers do not break any law by simply getting into Australia by boat. The government of Australia has been struggling to maintain a reasonable balance between attending to the needs of those seeking assistance and controlling movements. However, the government has an obligation in setting of policies in relation to health and safety. The government has come up with comprehensive security and health checks. All arrivals undergo a comprehensive and thorough process that involves security checking and identification assessment. A formalized health screening and assessment is also conducted. Treatment management is coordinated by the contracted health personnel for the people with the need for ongoing medical treatment. A discharge health assessment is also provided to such individuals for use in the event the individual falls ill once more. This is important in showing the records of previous illnesses and treatment (Phillips, 2011) The advocacy by health professionals of health of asylum seekers is of vital importance. Ignorance of this is a threat to public health as well. Trained personnel in mental health management and trauma management should be placed in the detention centers (Smith, 2011).The media often represents the ‘boat people’ as families and children involved are exposed to sexual abuse that can lead to physical harm. The health of the children is heavily threatened and as such detaining remains a physically and mentally painful experience. The government is reluctant in addressing the issue of child abuse and most as covered by the media is referred to as rape. There is a tolerance to such ill behavior and the reluctance to eradicate the practice is evident with the Australian government (Pickering, 2007). The United Nations Human Rights Commission believes that protection of asylum seekers is ultimately the role o the government and for a country like Australia with a very complex and sophisticated system, refugee status determination should be the most appropriate process made available to the asylum seekers (Ryan & Valsamis, 2010). The UNHCR believes that the obligations of Australia under the Refugee convention continue to hold until a durable and reasonable solution is found. It also states that the detention in the remote islands and camps is a restriction of movement and freedom. UNHCR can determine claims from asylum seekers to refugees and this could be done by their agents. However the activities of UNHCR have been minimal since their processes have been more cursory and procedurally less defined than the processes of refugee determination in Australia (O’Neill, Rice & Roger, 2007). The UNHCR has the obligation to emphasize that every decision to detain asylum seekers should be open to periodic review so that the grounds that lead tot heir justification are assessed. This will enable the risks that face the adults, children and adolescents in their physical and mental health. UNHCR has the obligation to ensure that the major documented human rights are followed in the dealing of asylum seekers. This will enable the people seeking asylum to be provided with the safety and health rights that they deserve as humans. The conditions in detentions are extremely difficult causing women physical harm and often faced with sexual abuse and violence, children are not left behind and the problem of congestion causes depression, feelings o shame and trauma. All this are inhuman and are taken care of in the Refugee convention (human rights watch, 2011). The convention expects that the states give asylum seekers the benefit of the doubt that they may be genuinely seeking protection. This should be so until the cause of their claims are proven otherwise (University of South Wales, 2009). Most individuals who are fleeing violence, conflict and persecution and especially those travelling by boat may not always have all their documents. It is an international law that individuals are allowed to ask for protection from another state with or without the travel documents. Their mode of arrival still should not be an issue to water down their claim for protection. The mischievous the media to call asylum seekers queue jumpers created asylum seekers arriving by boat as a dangerous group (Department of immigration and citizenship 2009). They created a negative public perception and were seen as threatening the Australian public. The Australian government did nothing but fuel hatred, prejudice and misinformation. One of the harshest impacts of the off shore processing policies is that on the health of those subjected to it, both physical and mental. The price paid by individuals is too high and cannot even be measured. Poor health and general wellbeing leaves them a vulnerable lot and they often bear the brunt the hard way. Long and delayed processing systems often lead to loss of skills and livelihood opportunities for the asylum seekers even when they have fully settled. The UNHCR takes records of the mental impact of this detention, and those with severe depression and need to be hospitalized are taken care of. In some cases, some families’ health is affected indefinitely. This may be for instance violence that led to the loss of limbs, rape cases, and death in extreme cases and in other cases torture leaving indefinite impacts in the lives of the asylum seekers. A critical and vital issue is the extent to which the environment is a direct contributor to this kind of distress or its traumatizing influence. Refugees and asylum seekers who are exposed to such conditions are at a higher risk of post traumatic stress disorder if exposed to adverse conditions (Kazimierz et. al, 2007) The media often portrays asylum seekers as less human and always viewed as a collective or impersonal invading force. They are never shown as unique and suffering individuals. The media often label the asylum seekers verbally and refer to them as cargo and other very mean tags. This unfavorable perception creates a public opinion about them and is usually negative. This often leads to dehumanization that can lead to various fatal psychological functions. There are for instance, legitimating harsh policies, distancing oneself from the asylum seeker’s misery. By perceiving asylum seekers as less human, some morally disturbing and questionable behavior towards them can be seen as appropriate and one can try to justify such behavior. In Australia, people who identify with humanity more strongly are more likely to have a amore welcoming and wholesome attitude towards asylum seekers. The government consequently follows the general public to join a chorus of exclusion when people seek asylum in Australia. To turn the tide of such response o asylum seekers, the media has to change the attitude towards them and make a point to portray them as people in need and who need care and protection. This will translate into the minds of the general public and subsequently the government will sing the chorus of the general public (Lusher, 2007). As illustrated by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (2010), it is a myth that asylum seekers who arrive by boat are not genuine. For other reasons, those who opt for this perilous journey may be the most genuine refugees. The concern should not be that some illegitimate asylum seeker could slip in, but that a genuine asylum seeker could be denied protection. Sometime, the asylum seekers whose health is usually very vulnerable go without food and health provisions for over a week. The political elite act very desperately in lying and justifying themselves and not providing the necessary solutions. Violence leading to physical assault and in extreme cases where children are thrown overboard is all too traumatizing for this people. The mental health is especially worst hit (Clemens & Pettman, 2008). Asylum seekers in Australia have been faced by one of the worst approach towards settling them into the country. The treatment of asylum seekers in Australia violates the international rights standards (UNHCR, 2009). The UN convention is seeking to make sure that seeking asylum from persecution is a universal right applied by all member countries and once this is done successfully, such conditions will not be experienced by any other individual. The treatment of asylum seekers in this country reflects the heart of their values and attitudes as a country. The health of asylum seekers is of vital importance and as such the physical wellbeing and exposure to favorable conditions are required for this people. The mode of transport of an asylum seeker should not weigh down the rights of such an individual and as such should be protected, provided with necessary health requirements. Availability of documents should also not be a factor to consider when providing protection. The individual’s mental and physical health should be of top priority. Australia has not been upholding its human rights obligations with regard to asylum seekers and has been promoting misinformation, fear and discrimination against such persons. They have put in place policies that make life unpleasant for the asylum seekers once they arrive and this tends to inflict injustice on the innocent. The health of children and adults is at risk since the conditions prevalent have severe effects on the mental and physical health of the asylum seekers (Bartlett, 2009). References Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (2010) Myths, facts and solutions. Retrieved August 16th 2011 From http//www.ASRC.AU Bartlett, A. (2009). Asylum seekers and Australia: some cold hard facts. Journal on Refugees, 67(5) 67-76 Clemens, J. & Pettman, D. (2008). Avoiding the subject: media, culture and the object Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Press. Human Rights Watch, (2010). ‘Invitation Only’ to be a. New York, Human Rights Watch Kazimierz et. al. (2007) A price too high: the cost of Australia’s approach to asylum Seekers. New South Wales, Oxfam Australia. Lusher, D. (2007). Yearning to breathe free: seeking asylum in Australia. Annandale, Federation Press. O’Neill, N., Rice, S. & Roger D. (2007). Retreat from injustice: human rights in Australia, New South Wales, Federation Press. Phillip, J. (2011) Asylum Seekers and Refugees. What are the facts journals, 11(4) Pickering, S. (2007). Refugee and State Crime. New South Wales, Federation Press. Ryan, B. & Valsamis, M. (2010). Extraordinary immigration control: legal challenges, Leiden, Brill Publishers. Robjant, K., Hassan, R., & Katona, C. (2009). Mental health implications for detaining Asylum seekers. British Journal of Psychiatry, 10 (6) 310-316 Smith, M. (2008) Asylum Seekers health. Medical Journal of Australia, 44(3), 20-23 Statistics derived from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship’s 2009-10 Annual, Retrieved on 16th August, 2011 from http://www.immi.gov.au/about/reports/annual/2009-10/ UNHCR (2009). 2009 Global Trends: Refugees, Asylum-seekers, Returnees, Internally Displaced and Stateless Persons, Retrieved on 16th August, http://www.unhcr.org/4c11f0be9.html University of South Wales, (2009) Asylum Seekers Health. Australian Journal of Human 5(2) 3-7 Read More