Refugees Reading Material

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Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Reading Materials

Figure 1: Article from British Tabloid The Sun (12 Jan 2008)

THE majority of Brits believe asylum seekers and immigrants are taking advantage

of the Human Rights Act. (The Sun)

In a government poll of 1,965 people, 57 per cent agreed that too many people,

mostly asylum seekers and other `foreigners`, take advantage of the Act, while 40

per cent agreed it has caused more problems than it has solved.

One in 10 also believe criminals and lawyers are taking advantage of the Act.

The report presents the findings from the Human Rights Insight Project which was

conducted by the Department for Constitutional Affairs - now the Ministry of Justice -

from December 2004 to May 2006.

Respect

The research also says people believe there is a lack of shared values in Britain. A

total of 56 per cent agreed that this country lacks a shared sense of rights andresponsibilities and 94 per cent agreed that we need to treat each other with

more respect.

The report says the concept of having a law that deals with human rights in Britain

is also overwhelmingly popular.

It states: In general we may conclude that most people support the concept of

both human rights and the Human Rights Act, but see some problems with how the

legislation currently operates.

In November, Justice Secretary Jack Straw defended the Act, which has been blamed

for preventing dangerous criminals being deported.

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Figure 2: Thanks For My Life Free From Terror: A Real Asylum Seeker

Terror in her war-torn land drove Selima to flee Somalia without her young children

four years ago. "Men forced their way into our house and fired bullets and they

raped my aunt. Five or six men raping one woman," says Selima, 27, quietly.

"My uncle was killed. Afterwards, my mother said: 'Don't worry, at least you didn't

get killed.' I think it would have been better to die."

As a girl, Selima had thought her life was mapped out for her. "I knew nothing about

politics," she says. "My friends and I were more interested in nail polish and what

names we were going to give our children."

But when she was 15, a bloody civil war broke out. Her brother was shot dead. "We

became used to death," she says. "People got killed in front of you all the time."

She married at 19. Her first son, Hussan, was born in 1996, and Hussein followed in

1998.

But in 1999, after her husband was beaten and escaped to Ethiopia, her mother

persuaded her to flee. She says: "It was agonising leaving my family but I believe I

would have been killed if I stayed."

In 2000 she arrived in Britain via Ethiopia and moved into a cousin's flat in North

London. She says: "I was lucky because I spoke a little English and I had an

address, which meant I could get food vouchers, which were 38 a week. She

studied full-time, learning English and computer studies. She missed her family

terribly, but then a visit to Southampton changed her life.

"I thought it was a really beautiful and peaceful place," she says: "I was suddenly

filled with an ambition to achieve something. She turned to Refugee Action and

the National Asylum Support Service and was offered a studio flat in Southampton.

Last July, she was granted indefinite leave to stay here.

She has found part-time work and is waiting for her British passport, which will

enable her to bring her children over.

"I will be a mother again," she says, her eyes lighting up. "Many British people think

all asylum-seekers just want to be here to get things for free. They don't see the

real people behind this image or hear the stories like mine.

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"I am grateful to Britain for the chances it has given me and for a life away from

terror."

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Figure 3: "All night we wait in tents for the day to come. This place is very dangerous, bandits attack us at night. I am showing the frightened faces of

the children in our camp." Binti Aden Denle, aged 12, from Ethiopia

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Figure 4: "My painting is about my `Karen` people (from Burma) who had to run away from our homes to find safety in Thailand."

Saw Mae Da Eh, aged 15

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Figure 5: "I lived in Kismayo until the fighting became very bad. Then I left with my

mother, brothers and sisters. We had to pay to go on this boat with many, many

other people. At night we were cold with the wind and during the day we were burnt

by the sun." Said Abdi Said, aged 14, from Somalia

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Figure 6: Refugees in Japan

(From http://www.refugee.or.jp)

It is a little known fact that more than 300 refugees ask for protection each year inJapan.

What happens to them once they arrive here? The reality is quite far from the new life

they dreamed of.

When they arrive, they don't understand, speak, read or write the complex Japanese

language - let alone comprehend Japanese laws.

They have nothing to give them a sense of security: no homes, jobs or friends to

depend on.

In such isolation and uncertainty, refugees have to survive while waiting for their

refugee status to be granted. It usually takes a half year minimum, with some cases

taking more than 5 years.

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Figure 7: Story of a Man From Burma (JAR - Japan Association for Refugees)

Eighteen years ago, I left my country

to protect myself from persecution.

I was in danger for my life

because of my pro-democratic activity,

protesting the oppressive military

government of Burma.

In the early days, the desperate struggle

with my family to survive

in Japan seemed endless,

without any hope. I felt desolate.

Not knowing anything about

asylum application procedures,

I was suddenly arrested

by the immigration authorities,

in front of my little daughter's eyes

on January 3, 2003.

We were separated for one year and 9 months.

While detained, I came to know about JAR. Thanks to the support of JAR staff and

lawyers in applying for asylum, I was finally approved for Status of Residence in

Japan.

Living in Japan has never been my goal, but the approval of legal status to stay did

give us hope for the future. I am most grateful to those who supported me and my

family.

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Figure 8: Eri`s Opinion

It was a TV program about the horrible

refugee conditions in Rwanda,

which I saw in high school,

that brought me into this work.

Throughout my studies I learned about

refugees around the world,

I especially became aware of

refugees living in the shadows in Japan.

I can't forget one incident:

A refugee, one of our clients,

was taken away to detention in front of me.

I felt powerless, and broke down in tears.

The cries of refugees still ring in my ears:

"I'm forbidden to work!"

"No one can solve my problems!"

"I have no clue what to do or how to live here!"

In these painful moments I have been fueled with outrage and determination to

seek a way to improve the lives of refugees. Furthermore, I have been encouraged

greatly

by refugees' enormous resilience where I would have already given up.

My dream is to see everybody in the world

live their own lives, having the right to decide

their own fate in any setting.

Living in Japan, I feel a responsibility toward refugees who are living right here. I

think the first significant step forward is not to ignore the sufferings of refugees, but

to take action, making small changes around us.

Refugee assistance is so worthwhile I am willing to dedicate my life to it.

Eri Ishikawa

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Figure 9: Refugee Film Festival

(www.refugeefilm.org)

In celebration of World Refugee Day on 20th June 2008, UNHCR and Japan for

UNHCR proudly present the 3rd Annual Tokyo Refugee Film Festival.

Message from Angelina Jolie, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador:

Film is an important medium to introduce the many aspects of the

lives and circumstances of refugees across the world, and through this

entertainment vehicle, create better awareness and understanding.

[ Angelina Jolie, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador ]

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Refugees Reading Material