Refugee Problems in Australia - Essay Example

Abstract This report looks at the health problems faced by the refugees in Australia. This has been achieved through a look at the immigration status of refugees in Australia. The research methodology used involves gathering relevant data from peer reviewed journals and government publications to come up with a complete understanding of refugee problems in Australia. Most of the refugees face problems especially in health, security and human rights. In Australia, refugees’ access to health care is a problem to some refugees due to language barrier and lack of trust. Most of the refugees also face problems with material security such as housing and employment and human rights violation through detention and discrimination. The research recommends that Australian government has to address the issues of housing, health and employment so as to make it possible for refugees to settle at ease. The policy on detention has to be evaluated to avoid human rights abuse as evidenced. The studies comes to a conclusion that though the Australian government have put efforts to settle refugees, there is still a lot to be done regarding refugees security, health and human rights. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 List of figures 4 Introduction 5 Research methodology 6 Health problems 6 Security 10 Human rights 12 Recommendations 13 Conclusion 14 References 15 List of figures Fig. 1 Australia refugees’ intake……………………………..…………………………….5 Fig. 2 Nationalities of refugees in Australia from 2010-13........................…….…………..10 Introduction Australia has been receiving refugees for a long time and efficiently settled them. Refugee settlement involves a change from one environment to another. The issues for migration are varied depending on several circumstances. Some of the refugees migrate during war, natural calamities, persecution migration among others. Migration in Australia is mostly based on settlement migration rather than temporary migration. This type of migration requires that the government has to invest more in sectors of education and other areas such as housing to settle the refugees. The issue of refugees in Australia is mostly taken as a government responsibility. The refugees who migrate to Australia enter the country through programs which are recognized by the UNHCR. The government is supposed to provide assistance to the refugees including security, health care, language education, as well as financial aid. Other refugees enter Australia with help from a sponsor who is liable to provide all the needs such as health and housing. Those refugees who are able to enter the country without any documentation have to wait for verification from the government (Neumann, 2010). rank Country Refugees per 1,000 population (2010) 1 Jordan 72.9 2 Syria Arab Rep. 49.3 3 Congo, Rep, of 32.9 4 Chad 31 69 Australia 1 Fig.1 Table showing world ranking of Australia in refugees’ intake (Phillips & Spinks, 2010) Settlement of refugees in Australia has been associated with integration of immigrants. The integration policy for the refugees can be traced from the 1990 after the assimilation policies. The policies of refugees in Australia have been structured through the structural requirements of the country as well as the ideological form. Refugees are prone to different problems when they relocate to other countries. These problems range from health, security and human rights (Phillips & Spinks, 2010). This report will look at the problems faced by the refugees in Australia in regard to health, security and human rights. Research methodology The research methodology used will involve getting relevant data from the specified peer reviewed articles and compiling so as to analyze it. This will help in coming up with a complete understanding of the refugees problems in Australia. The articles used have to be peer reviewed to make to make the data reliable. This will be complemented by the data from Australian government publications. The information obtained using this methodology will shed light into the refugees problems in Australia regarding health, security and human rights. Health problems Most of the refugees have health problems on arrival at their destination. Some of the health need for the refugees are complex and mostly arises from torture, lack of proper care in the refugee camps, and trauma. Some of the refugees reports having been in the camps for more than a decade. This contributes to their poor health as they can not access proper health care. Upon arrival in Australia, some of the refugees experience problems in accessing health care. Studies that have been conducted on the matter have showed varied results. According to these studies, some of the refugees report having been able to access the health care without any difficulty (Woodland, Burgner, Paxton, & Zwi, 2010). Others have claimed that the health care they receive is poor. Some of the main barriers that make the health inaccessible to these refugees include language as well as culture. Some of the refugees have health beliefs which hinder their usage of the health systems. There are cases where the refugees’ lack of familiarity with the health systems ends up underutilizing them. Those refugees with language barriers tend to be the most difficult to treat. According to health practitioners, it becomes hard to treat them as they cannot communicate (Gardiner & Walker, 2010). One of the barriers that lead to the refugees not accessing health services is trust. Seeking health services from the practitioners is mostly based on the trust held by the refugees. When the refugees lack trust in the practitioners, they fail to attend to the hospitals leading to health problems. Studies done regarding the refugees decisions on seeking healthcare proved that lack of trust was hindering some of them from attaining health care. The impressions that they got from the practitioners on the first visit mattered a lot. This is because some of the refugees developed trust from the first impression they got from the doctor. In cases where the refugees do not develop trust from the doctor, they tend to isolate themselves from the health care. Trust to most refugees makes them feel respected and appreciated. This problem can be addressed by making the health professional capable to build trust to the patients. The help got from the support team to the new immigrants helped ease the problem of trust among the refugees (Kay, Jackson & Nicholson, 2010). Some of the refugees fail to get health care due to their perception of a safe place. This is where the refugees expect that the health provision should go in line with having a system which friendly to their community. This is because the idea of a safe place was there in their community. This is where other services were provided by the health facilities beyond health care. In some cases, the refugees took note of the doctors not being concerned with them during treatment. This is in cases where the doctor fails to record the adequate history on the patient. The refugee perceives these instances as lack of concern hence may stay away from health care (Nickerson, Bryant, Steel, Silove & Brooks, 2010). Lack of trust may lead to the refugees travelling for long distances to seek for a doctor who is capable of developing good relations with them. This leads to a situation where the family trusts only a certain doctor leading to poor services. In some cases, the health process is traumatizing to the refugees. This is instances where the refugees are taken for screening before awarding visa (Kay, Jackson & Nicholson, 2010). Some of the refugees have language problems which hinders their access to health. This leads to use of an interpreter who in some instances can not be relied upon. In some cases, the interpreter may fail to adequately interpret the health issue to the physician. Having a competence interpreter is a challenging task that leads to effect on the quality of interpreting. Sometimes, the refugees are forced to wait for their interpreter which might take long. Having a diligent interpreter is a challenge for the refugees. This leads to poor health access for the refugees with the language problem (Phillips, 2010). Health literacy among the refugees is in most cases poor. Some of the immigrants lack vital knowledge on how to access the health care facilities in the country. The health system in Australia is associated with a lot of testing which makes these refugees uneasy. The refugees are not adequately informed the use of testing which makes them fear it. The change in the health provision demands that the refugees be informed on how the new system works. For example, the refugees are not used in systems where the doctor advices the patients on prevention during treatment (Vasey, 2012). This to some of the refugees may lead to dissatisfaction. The refugees have the perception that the doctors are unaware of their past. This is because the refugee comes from areas with different health problems as compared with Australia (Robert & Janice, 2012). The health providers in most cases have poor knowledge regarding the refugee’s culture and their relation of culture with health. The refugees in most cases come from a culture where they have specific ways of addressing health issues. This leads to refugees having difficulties in accessing the health facilities where there is a different approach (Neumann, 2010). Another area in refugees’ health is their mental well being. Most of the refugees are traumatized after the events in their home countries. Most of the refugees fail to access the counseling services. These refugees require help to put in order their social lives. The humanitarian interventions are required to help the refugees to restore their lives. However, the restoration programs in some cases fail to address the matter adequately leaving many of the refugees with trauma. There are also cases where there is overload leading to poor service delivery (Nickerson, Bryant, Steel, Silove, & Brooks, 2010). Security Most of the refugees come from insecurity prone countries with an aim of finding a haven. Some of them travel through different countries risking arrest using false documents. The funds that they have during their travel can not sustain them and have to pay people smugglers to help in passage. In Australia, refugees are screened through application. This happens even when they have been approved by the UNHCR. For a refugee to be safe, there are main domains that a country need to certify. One of these is that the refugee must be able to have help from the law as well as law keepers without being discriminated. This access should not also be biased through gender or the age of refugee (Phillips & Spinks, 2010). Citizenship of refugees 2010-11 2011-12 2011-12 2012-13 Mar Qtr Jun Qtr Sep Qtr Afghanistan 1621 3179 807 1248 512 Iran 1563 1553 191 352 405 Iraq 566 368 129 105 103 Pakistan 70 618 221 266 239 Sri Lanka 359 825 111 600 1058 Stateless 854 576 78 223 116 Other 141 260 92 63 80 Total 5174 7379 1629 2857 2513 Fig. 2 Table showing the nationalities of refugees in Australia from 2010-13 (Phillips & Spinks, 2010) The refugee is also entitled to have physical safety, material safety and religious and cultural safety. For a refugee to be physically secure, he should be able to have liberty and security. There should be protection from any form of detention or violence to the refugee life. Having material safety refers to a position where the refugee is able to access water, housing, health and education services with ease. They should also be able to gain employment so as to earn for their livelihood. Finally, the refugees should be able to practice religion and culture. The refugee choice of religion should be respected as well as their cultural practice. The only limitation to material security is the practice of culture that is not accepted by the international community (Gardiner & Walker, 2010). Among these pillars of the refugees’ security, the material security has affected most of the refugees in Australia. Most of The refugees have claimed lack of employment in Australia. In some cases, there has been discrimination where the refugees have not been offered job opportunities due to their nationalities. This leads to refugees depending on the social scheme despite being able to work. There are cases where the employers fail to recognize the educational qualifications of the refugees. This is due to the fact that some of the refugees came from countries with a different education system. Most of the African refugees in Australia are not offered job opportunity due to their race. There is low cultural awareness among most of the employers who perceives Africans as lacking skills (Neumann, 2010). Most of the refugees do not have skills which can lead to employment. The main source of their livelihood is the money given out by the government for support. The fact that they have no money leads to the housing problem as they can not pay rent. They are forced to live in the city suburbs with no sustainable income from employment. Those given temporary visas can not integrate into the Australian society. This leads to seclusion and overreliance on the welfare money for their survival (Gardiner & Walker, 2010). For the refugees, a sense of safety and feeling at home is a major requirement. The Australian governments have not been able to provide housing security to the refugees. The refugee in Australia suffers from discrimination on matters of housing. Most of the homeless refugees are unable to report according to a study. Some of the refugees are on temporary visas. It is important to remember that housing plays a vital role on the well being of the refugees as well as settling down. The refugees in most cases come from camps where there were poor housing and lacked essential needs. Having a house for these refugees is an important step in their well being (Neumann, 2010). Human rights The Australian government has violated the human rights for the refugees in some cases. One of the ways in which the refugees in Australia are affected is through unlawful detention. Most of the refugees who seek asylum in Australia come through boats. This has led to the use of the term offshore enter persons. The refugees who are caught using this method to enter into Australia are apprehended and detained. They are then subjected to a system to determine their viability as refugees. The refugees’ determination system used by the government limits the rights to the individuals (Gardiner & Walker, 2010). Those refugees that are found not fit to be given full settlement in Australia are kept in detention. When placed in detention, these refugees risks removal from the country. They are not able to seek for work or get an education as required. This is a condition that denies them basic human rights such as education. There has been recent outcry concerning detentions of the refugees. The government has been accused of denying some of the refugees their rights (Phillips & Spinks, 2010). There was a case in 2009 when the detainees whose temporary visas had expired were detained at Christmas Island. There are cases of children who are born in detention and spend their lives there. This hinders their development as they cannot integrate with the society. Matters relating to discrimination in the job and housing sectors have been witnessed. This is a means in which most of the qualified employees cannot get any job. Discrimination ion workplace is rife due to lack of cultural awareness (Gardiner & Walker, 2010). Recommendations Refugees in Australia require to be given health services that are more cultural aware. The health professional should working establishing trust with the patients. This is due to the fact that most of the refugees are attracted to health care where they can trust. Trust should be developed in services, interpretation, and service integration. Cultural awareness is another factor that can help reduce the health problem among the refugees. Some of the refugees come from areas where health care is combined with culture (Phillips & Spinks, 2010). Refugees’ security is another issue that needs to be improved. This can be achieved through giving refugees employment opportunities in Australia. Most of the refugees lack material security due to lack of employment. Material security especially housing need to be availed to the refugees especially the new arrivals (Gardiner & Walker, 2010). Australia has of late been accused of committing human rights atrocities through detention of refugees. The procedure used to handle offshore refugees is against the human rights and needs to be changed. The policy of detention also need to be removed and other measures which are not inhuman established. Discrimination in the workplace needs to be addressed so that all the refugees can access equal employment opportunities (Neumann, 2010). Conclusion Refugees in Australia face several problems ranging from health, security and human rights violations in some instances. This is a trend that needs to be addressed tom make their settlement smooth. The health sector though have put effort in catering for their well being still have not been able to achieve the required standards. There are still problems based on language, culture and trust that are facing refugees in accessing health care. Some of the refugees cannot afford housing due to lack of employment. This has led to lack of material security among the refugees. This can be addressed by making sure that refugees are given employment without discrimination. The process of detention in most cases is against the refugees rights. The government has to make sure that the process of examining the refugees is not against their rights. References Gardiner, J., & Walker, K. A. (2010). Compassionate listening: Managing psychological trauma in refugees. Australian Family Physician, 39(4), 198-203. Kay, M., Jackson, C., & Nicholson, C. (2010). Refugee health: a new model for delivering primary health care.Australian Journal of Primary Health, 16(1), 98-103. Neumann, K. (2010). The resettlement of refugees in Australia: A bibliography. Swinburne University of Technology: Melbourne. Accessed on, 5, 02-11. Nickerson, A., Bryant, R., Steel, Z., Silove, D. & Brooks, R. (2010). The impact of fear for family on mental health in a resettled Iraqi refugee community, Journal of Psychiatric Research,44 (4), 229-235. Phillips, C. (2010). Using interpreters: A guide for GPs. Australian Family Physician, 39(4), 188-195. Phillips, J. & Spinks, H. (2010) Boat arrivals in Australia since 1976. Parliament of Australia, Parliamentary Library Research Note. Robert, A., T. & Janice P., (2012). Therapeutic landscapes: Understanding migration to Australian regional and rural communities. Rural Society, 22 (1), 59-66. Vasey K, Manderson L. (2012). Regionalizing Immigration, Health and Inequality: Iraqi Refugees in Australia. Administrative Sciences, 2(1):47-62. Woodland, L., Burgner, D., Paxton, G., & Zwi, K. (2010). Health service delivery for newly arrived refugee children: A framework for good practice. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health,3(1): 331-342. Read More