The Asylum Seeker Policies in Australia Are Inhumane. Do...

Throughout the years, there have been articles about asylum seekers resorting to violence due to discontentment with the Australian government regarding the assessment of their refugee status. These are evident cries for help which sparks off debates on the government’s abilities to find a successful solution to the asylum issues. Australia has been criticized due to the requirements of compulsory immigration detention for ‘all unlawful non-citizens, (including asylum seekers)’ (Phillips Spinks 2013, p.1). The other controversial issue of Australia regarding the asylum seekers is also the claims that it has been avoiding it’s responsibilities under the United Nations refugee conventions by making it hard for asylum seekers to claim†¦show more content†¦(Pynt 2013, p.2) Although the initial idea of PSII was to prevent people smuggling and to decrease the number of boat accidents, this policy is clearly inhumane and degrading towards the asylum see kers. Although there were inhumane policies in the asylum seeking system, the Australian government had also attempted to rectify the issue of overcrowding and indefinite periods in detention facilities by introducing bridging visas. They are temporary visas which allow asylum seekers to legally reside within the Australian community while their appeals in seeking protection as refugees are being assessed and can be released from detention centres upon medical, identification and security checks. (Australian Human Rights Commission 2013, p.1-2) However, there are several restrictions and conditions regarding the bridging visa, the most significant one being the prohibition on working and medicare for most of the visa holders. This results in low income that leads to malnutrition, medical issues, and dependence on the Australian government for survival. These conditions could impact their ability to enjoy basic human rights and Australia may again have breached its obligations under the Int ernational Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) that ‘the right of access to employment, especially for disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups’ be ensured as supported by Taylor (2000, p.2). In conclusion, while the government claims thatShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagescolonies after 1870 as a predictable culmination of the long nineteenth century, which was ushered in by the industrial and political revolutions of the late 1700s. But at the same time, without serious attention to the processes and misguided policies that led to decades of agrarian and industrial depression from the late 1860s to the 1890s, as well as the social tensions and political rivalries that generated and were in turn fed by imperialist expansionism, one cannot begin to comprehend the