Page 53 - Geopolítica del Mundo Actual. Una Visión Multidisciplinar

GEOPOLÍTICA DEL MUNDO ACTUAL. UNA VISIÓN MULTIDISCIPLINAR:
Cultura de Paz, Conflictos, Educación y Derechos Humanos
Protection (DIBP) in 2008-13.
Source: DIBP, Asylum Trends Australia 2012-13 – Annual Publication (p.24)
Boat People and the Root of Problems
There are various factors that encourage an asylum seeker to flee his country; but broadly, the root of these problems can be traced based on the origin countries of the biggest number of asylum seekers in Australia. Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran are the top three source countries for boat people. Condition of conflict and war resulted in the suppression that makes them worth mentioning as refugees.
Conflict in a country is the main factor that triggered the current wave of refugees from that country. It also occurs at the top 5 countries whose citizens applied for the most refugee status in Australia. However, conflict within a country is directly proportional to its economic situation, but this is not the basic reason for them to leave their country. The factor of seek protection that can’t be granted by the country of origin is still the main reason for the boat people in entering to other countries.
The boat people stigmatized as illegal immigrants for entering a country without official documents or, sometimes, using false documents. Behind it all there is a logical explanation of their arrival without valid documents. They fled from the conflict-torn country as well as the fear of oppression, obviously not possible for them to meet the administrative and legal requirements before entering another country.
Then, what about the boat people who come to Australia, are they genuine refugees? The fact that cannot be denied is between 70 and
97 per cent of asylum seekers arriving by boat have been found to be refugees. Since they were granted protection as refugees, they were given permanent protection visas. This reveals that the majority asylum seekers who arrived by boat in Australia are genuine refugees.
The Implementation of Operation Sovereign Borders (OSB)
As mentioned on the previous chapter, the “Operation Sovereign Borders” has started on September 2013. Initially, this policy purposed to stop the boats that try to enter to Australian borders. In implementing this policy, one of the criterias for ships that are included in the provisions pushed by Australian Navy is ships with Indonesian flag and crews entering Australian waters illegally. This eventually resulted in the incident of the entry of the Australian navy into Indonesian territorial waters when pushing back the boats carrying immigrants who claimed as asylum seekers.
Other things, despite Australia has ratified The 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, there is a rule in the international refugee convention that allow each country that has ratified the convention to make its own national rules for the matters not specified in the convention. Therefore, after the OSB becomes effective since September 2013, the Australian government also sets policy that those who arrived without a visa would not be placed in Australia.
Previously, in July 2013, Tony Abbott made an agreement with the government of Nauru and PNG. Under the agreement, Nauru and PNG agreed to accept asylum seekers who came to Australia after July 2013 in their countries during the assessment process and resettlement. Apart from being sent to detention centers in Nauru and Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, the Australian government also stated that some of the migrants could return to their countries of their own volition.
Basically, although Australia does not accommodate asylum seekers directly in the country, but as a ratifying country, it still has an obligation to ensure the safety of refugees and its
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