
Seeking Asylum Alone
Mary Crock(Author)
Themis Press
Published on 1. August 2006
Book
Paperback/Softback
129 pages
978-1-921113-01-7 (ISBN)
Description
Unaccompanied and separated children continue to be caught up in programs to deflect unauthorised Australian boat arrivals to offshore processing centres. If such children do make it to Australia, the processes for identifying children travelling alone are inadequate, with too much reliance placed on the self-identification of such children. No child victim of trafficking has been identified in Australia since 1994. Australia's refugee status determination system was established with adult asylum seekers as the norm. Children face obvious disadvantage in both articulating their story and in being heard. At the crucial first point of contact with authorities children are required to articulate their need for protection without either an advisor or an effective guardian. Case studies of children within the asylum process also suggest that immigration officials and officials at appellate level have been poorly trained and have lacked the skills to deal with child asylum seekers with appropriate sensitivity. Another barrier faced by these children is legal: questions remain as to how well the international definition of refugee has been read to accommodate the particular experiences of children. It is hoped that this report will encourage Australian officials to think seriously about children as refugees in their own right and most particularly when the children are travelling alone. This Report was funded by the MacArthur Foundation (Chicago); the Australian Research Council and the Myer Foundation.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Annandale
Australia
Publishing group
Federation Press
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Weight
652 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-921113-01-7 (9781921113017)
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Schweitzer Classification
Content
Contents Part One - The Phenomenon of Children Seeking Asylum Alone 1 Anatomy of the project 2 Children in need of protection: The scale and nature of movement 3 Journeys of a lifetime: How and why child asylum seekers travel alone Part Two - Frameworks for Protection 4 An overview of international standards 5 Australian Laws and Policies I: Access to territory - non-entree, interdiction and offshore processing 6 Australian Laws and Policies II: The domestic asylum system and protection outcomes Part Three - Australian Law and Policy in Practice 7 Identification and reception 8 Entering the refugee status determination system 9 The primary decison-making process: The DIMA Interview 10 Challenging adverse decisions 11 Deciding refugee status 12 Unaccompanied and separated children and the international definition of 'refugee' 13 Interdiction and offshore processing: The deflection of child asylum seekers Part Four - Protection Outcomes 14 In search of permanent refuge: Life on and after the temporary protection visas 15 Towards the future: conclusions and recommendations Appendixes Interview conducted Glossary of Terms Legislation and Cases Cited Bibliography