Here’s How You Can Actually Help People Seeking Asylum Right Now
Whether you want to donate skills, time, or money – a little can go a long way.
The ASRC supports and empowers more than 7,000 people seeking asylum each year.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in most Australians feeling the effects of border closures and mandatory quarantine in some capacity, these experiences are nothing new to those who have attempted to seek asylum in this country.
Since 2013, Australia has detained people seeking asylum who have arrived in the country by boat. Australia is now known to have one of the harshest refugee and asylum seeker policies in the world, and the Australian Human Rights Commission holds serious concerns that Australian’s current regional processing regime “creates a significant risk that Australia may breach its human rights obligations”.
In addition to the approximately 200 people currently being held against their will in Papua New Guinea and Nauru, there are almost 40 refugees being held in a Melbourne hotel, which has been labelled a “COVID incubator” by advocates. Those locked inside Carlton’s Park Hotel came to Australia from Manus and Nauru seeking medical attention, but have instead been kept inside domestic hotels and processing centres since their arrival. A recent report by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre found that this long-term confinement has only further exacerbated some existing medical conditions, which included severe gum disease, chest pain, heart palpitations, and other injuries.
But what can you do to help those in need, beyond voting for politicians and parties that share your values? Well, there’s actually quite a lot.
Listen To Those Who Have Lived Experience Seeking Asylum
Nobody is better placed to tell the stories of seeking asylum than those who have experienced it. Unfortunately, these voices are often ignored or silenced.
“Despite the ‘issue’ of asylum seekers filling headline stories for years, the real stories of people seeking asylum have rarely been communicated. Asylum seekers are mostly presented as a mass of faceless people on rickety boats,” Afghan refugee Abdul Karim Hekmat recently wrote in an essay for The Monthly. “They are incarcerated behind bars, either on the Australian mainland or in offshore centres, out of sight and out of mind.”
For this reason, it’s important to seek out the stories of people with lived experience of seeking asylum. A new book, Seeking Asylum: Our Stories, shares the stories of people seeking asylum in their own words, exploring the impact of Australia’s immigration polices, shining a light on the diverse lives of those hoping to find refuge in Australia.
Volunteer Your Time And Skills
There are so many different ways to share your skills and time with organisations that are working to provide support to people seeking asylum, whether it’s by assisting with administrative tasks, fundraising, or helping out in a food bank. If you’re a qualified legal or health professional, there are even more ways you can help, as these skills are often desperately needed. Volunteers are the lifeblood of most organisations, so there are plenty of opportunities to assist in whatever way you can.
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) advertises volunteer roles every two months on their website, so keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to get involved.
Consider Donating Money To A Good Cause
If you’re in the financial position to do so, donating money to organisations working to better the lives of those seeking asylum is a practical way to make a real difference.
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre is currently raising funds for their EveryKind Appeal, which aims to help provide people seeking asylum the kind of universal safety net the Australian government won’t. Through the appeal, the ASRC is raising money to support people while they go through the refugee determination process with things like nutritious and wholesome food; household essentials and personal items; mobile phones and credit; laptops; school uniforms and toys; baby care items; help with living expenses and more.
Because seeking asylum is just a point in someone’s life and every kind of support can help them build their new future. Your kindness can help people to live safely and with dignity while they seek asylum.
Make Your Opinions On The Treatment Of People Seeking Asylum Known
When the voices of those in need aren’t being heard, it’s important to use your own. Thankfully, there are many different ways to make your opinions known.
The ‘Time For A Home’ petition hosted on the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre’s website is calling for the government to free “women, men, and children, and quickly resettle them into our community, so they can be safe and have a permanent home in which to rebuild their lives”. It currently has more than 21,000 signatures and organisers are hoping to reach 30,000 — yours can help get them get closer to that goal.
You can also consider making a call to Immigration Minister Alex Hawke to put pressure on the Australian government to help those currently trying to flee the Taliban. Every call and signature helps make a difference, so the time for action is now.