Asylum Seekers †a Contemporary Social Issues in Australian Society Essay

The Oxford English Dictionary defines mental institution as the shelter afforded by a country to somewhatone who has had to leave their country of origin all overdue to danger from political or other reasons (Oxford English Dictionary 2012). Structuralism, accord to Babbie (2006), is a theory supporting the establishment of communities of different cultures. This paper pass on plow the concept of refuge disclosekers in Australia as intermit of multiethnicalism at bottom the global universe of discourse flow and critically get wind the roles and values of the Australian people to struggleds uninvited immigrants and the policies in relation to the recent influx of mental hospital seekers.Specifically, this paper will first give an overview of Australians and founding seekers, hence discuss the history of chancel seekers coming to Australia and review the effectiveness of current policies in addressing the get bys environ inlet of asylum seekers. The paper will in addition examine the arguments and issues surrounding the policies for, and attitudes towards asylum seekers, as viewed through the lens of structural functionalism. in the end the paper will conclude with an overview of Australias current multicultural scheme for asylum seekers and what the future h sometime(a)s as globalisation increases.As the complex issues surrounding asylum seekers in Australia be increasingly challenged, constant changes due to globalisation and population flow affect Australias political, economical and affable view towards those seeking asylum (Jupp, 2007). The broader field of population flows and multiculturalism is the topic within which the issue of asylum seekers looking for entry into a multicultural Australia is contextualised. The Settlement Council of Australia (SOCA) is the of import organisation nationally representing the firmness of purpose service division and has a closing working relationship with the Department of in-migration and Citizenship.SOCA states that a refugee is a victim of oppression who fits the description of a refugee as ensnare out in the 1951 agreement concerning the Status of Refugees, of which Australia is a participant, whereas an asylum seeker has already seek safeguard from the political science under international law and is awaiting a decisiveness on their view. (SOCA, 2012). The current view of multiculturalism, and the approach to asylum seekers amongst Australians today, is solace combine (McMaster, 2001).It is difficult for some to accept what they perceive as outsiders queue start in to the system to obtain status. Multiculturalism is a vital element of the settlement procedure, assisting in establishing the best environment for settlement to occur (SOCA, 2012). To understand the despondency faced by asylum seekers is hard, and we can only draw from media reportage or second-hand knowledge, if non personally experienced (Suter, 2001). Most will cook fled from their home land due to tyranny, warfare, or horrendous abuses of their human rights.As argued by Suter (2001), Australia has reacted with obstinacy over recent years with the evolution arrival of asylum seekers from countries, such as Afghanistan in 2001, where the refugees were refused entry to Australia forced to relocate to Indonesia as the sauceboat had initially foundered in Indonesian waters. International condemnation did nil to soften the governments stance and interestingly, most Australians, according to surveys at the time, supported the governments hard line. The fear of invasion unflustered seems pervasive amongst many (Suter 2001).The humanitarian element of protection is superseded by a fact that another person is attempting to get into the country and must be assessed. As SOCA states, the reinstatement of branching migrants off-shore will have a large collision psychologically on people who are vulnerable with a black and uncertain outlook surrounding their status in Aust ralia. For those arriving by boat separation from their families is traumatic and the restoration of devastated families is a main element in settling successfully.Asylum seekers will need continued support from the connection during difficult times of change while establishing a safer and to a greater extent protected life (SOCA, 2012). It is significant that multiculturalism is a indemnity that recognises, and endorses, cultural diversity, not non-racism (Van Krieken, Habibis, Smith, Hutchins, Haralambos, & Hol natural 2006). Australia has have immigrants for many years, as Jupp (2007) discusses, emigrants from Europe arrived in 1788, opening the way for 160,000 convicts.The in-migration Restriction Act, introduced in 1901 named the White Australia Policy, was to prevent the admission of non- Europeans into Australia. As the Australian Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship state, Australia assesses claims made by asylum seekers under the Migrations Act 1988 and Migration Regulations 1994. There is also an independent review process for people who arrive by sea know as second base maritime arrivals and asylum is granted on individual circumstances afterwards thorough background checks, which in some cases take years.Whilst waiting for their status to be recognised, asylum seekers are required to remain in handle centres (Commonwealth, 2012). The statistics published by the Department of Immigration supply that when the Refugees Convention was set up in 1951 around 1. 5 million immigrants existed worldwide. Towards the close of 2010 that persona had risen to 43. 7 million, comprising many refugees, some 15 million with over 838,000 seekers of asylum and 27million relocated from their country of origin (Commonwealth, 2012).Whilst it is difficult to account for on the dot why people are displaced, a large number whitethorn be foreign students and people looking for changes in lifestyle, due to globalisation and easier get tos of transp ort (Xu, 2007). There are still many people from war torn countries escaping from oppressive and deadly regimes looking for an improved lifestyle for their relatives and love ones. (Lusher & Haslam, 2007). Australia is a socially diverse country, which has grown to accept and embrace differing cultures. track and racism were a fundamental part of the national Australian community, as in the case of the Aboriginal Australians, to be rid of those considered racially disagreeable, those who were not white. As Lusher and Haslam (2007) discuss, historically up to the First World War, the admission of Europeans to Australia was virtually unobstructed, so there was no motive to assess immigrants ingress due to persecution in their country of origin. The Second World War truism the admission of many Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany with Australia assisting in an international tutelage scheme.Following on from the ever-increasing influx of refugees, Australia was one of the first to sign the coupled Nations document on the Status of Refugees in 1951 (Jupp, 2007). From then on, Australia accepted some refugees, and rejected others. Australias indemnity on refugees has consistently formed part of its immigration constitution. The first major modern controversy, which sets the scene for todays issues, was in 1977 when a boat carrying Viet labele refugees arrived off the coast of Darwin.The media then used labels, such as queue jumpers and Boat people, names that hold to this day (Jupp, 2007). Historical incidents such as this give a background to the discourse of asylum seekers today and what some might see as Australias contemptuous and cold-hearted management towards them. The numbers of refugees and asylum seekers is growing annually, as statistics from the Refugee Council of Australia show five people arrived by boat during 1975 to 1976 compared to 4,730 on 89 boats during 2010 to 2011 (Refugee Council, 2012).Yon (2000) asserts that many Australians of old o r white line of work still do not identify with the multiculturalisms view of the crude Australia. These fundamental ideas not only marginalise ethnic cultures, but also are destructive as they produce a situation whereby old Australians position themselves as being on the outside of a multicultural Australia. To assert that the genuineness of the current Australian policy on asylum seekers is being questioned is understandable when viewed from a structural functionalism perspective.People with different cultural beliefs and values come together, particularly in the strained circumstances of asylum seeking one party running for fear of their lives and Australian Immigration viewing this flight as another invasion (McMaster, 2001). Many, according to Tepperman and Blain (2006), recollect that Australias multicultural policy should be restructured to accommodate the rapid advances in globalisation bringing together more ethnic cultures and be in line with assimilation of ethnic c ultures whilst working towards a common goal. menstruum policies in Australia to assist asylum seekers are not effective in this age of globalisation, and should be focused on as a study of urgency (Lusher & Haslam 2007). On July 21, 2012 in The Australian, Cameron Stewart discusses that the governments current policy on refugees and asylum seekers which has, until recently, been the one of the basic key stones of Australias trueness to human rights and is now in danger of collapse. The ineffectiveness of the current policy is highlighted by the inability of the government to prevent people smugglers bringing more boats to Australian shores, hence more and more people are arriving.But, the government continued to maintain a policy, initiated in 1996 by the Howard government, which set a cap on the intake allowed each year and which is currently more lower than the influx of new refugees to these shores (Stewart, 2012). The get together Nations Universal Declaration of homosexua l Rights (UDHR) (Article 13) declares people should be able to leave their place of origin with a right to decent health care, food, housing and a right to the charge in areas of welfare such as un exercising, illness of death of a family member (Article 25).The UDHR also states (Article 2) that no one should be discriminated against based on of his or her viewpoint politically, or his or her status internationally (UDHR 2012, cited Xu, Q 2007). The United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) advised Australia in April 2010 to seek out ameliorate options than the detention of asylum seekers who arrive by boat. The UNHRC is still in word with the Australian government on the best way to reduce the recess of the mounting claims for asylum and compulsory detention, whilst concentrating on the wellbeing and health of asylum seekers in Australia (UNHRC, 2012).The theory of structural functionalism, argues that each of us is born, into set common structures that have fixed behavioura l expectations, which people generally do not contravene (Van Krieken et al, 2006). Social issues are approached scientifically assessing changes in urban growth, population flow to explain the structures underpinning society. As Bessant and Watts (2007) assert, structural functionalists focus on statistics of effrontery situations, which are then used to describe the progress of and structure of social development and may help to create the basis of a policy on multiculturalism.Babbie (2010) posits that it is pertinent to understand how a person who once fitted in to a different society with different roles and functions may have difficulties initially, or if ever, adapting to the structure and function which makes up Australian contemporary society. It is therefore reusable using the structural perspective, to assess the asylum seekers who may appear profuse when placed for months in detention centres, as people who are displaced from their norm and are reacting against that d isplacement.Structural functionalism would be looking to understand why problems are occurring and what could be done to effectively integrate the asylum seekers into the Australian larger society, taking into account the adjustments that would be needed for those people to assimilate (Babbie 2010). check to Xu (2007), using the welfare benefit system is crucial for helping the cultivation and settlement of all immigrants.Yet as Xu (2007) notes, resentment amongst many Australian citizens is building towards asylum seekers as they often take low-paid jobs, out of necessity, which contributes to employment issues and a sense of insecurity for many indigenous and natural born workers. As a result, over the last 20 years Australia has move its policy on immigration to focus more on assimilating asylum seekers and refugees with discussions about multiculturalism, and how that affects the native Australians, and less on the welfare of the immigrants arriving, sometimes under dire ci rcumstances (Xu, 2007).In conclusion the analysis in this paper of the social issue of asylum seekers admitted into Australia suggest that many factors may disrupt feelings amongst native Australians, and unless handled sensitively the deep rooted fear of invasion, which still endures for many, will not go away (Jupp, 2007). Multiculturalism does not have the legitimacy it was trying to assume and marginalisation of asylum seekers still exists.As Bessant and Watts (2007) show when viewed through the paradigm of the structural functionalism theory, the current Australian policies on the treatment of asylum seekers create maladaptation and malignancies. An irrefutable fact exists, asserts Jupp (2007), which is globalisation. More people mundane are coming to and from Australia and continually communicating with other countries and cultures. The frenetic ill-use of globalisation and the ensuing and inevitable cultural change in the form of assimilation is inevitable (Xu, 2007).The em phasis, according to Xu (2007) should be on a tactical approach that creates a long-term solution to prioritise the management and protection of asylum seekers across Australia, and adapting current policies on immigration to ensure that migrants elude around current arrangements make no gain. The focus therefore should be on Australian observance of its international responsibilities concentrating on an improved policy for immigration, encouraging a reasonable and managed humanitarian programme which minimises fear and fretfulness across all sectors yet creates an adhesive force for change.