REFUGEE COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Emerging Communities

Origin of Offshore Program Entrants

1997-1998

50%

28%

15%

7% EuropeMiddle EastAfricaOther

Origin of Offshore Program Entrants

2001-2002

32%

32%

33%

3%

EuropeMiddle EastAfricaOther

Origin of Offshore Program Entrants

2003-2004 3%

24%

71%

3% EuropeMiddle EastAfricaOther

Visa Grants by Top Ten Countries of Birth2003-2004

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

2003-04 6147 1400 933 690 375 368 322 287 226 185 789

Sudan Iraq Afghanistan

Ethiopia Iran Liberia Yugoslavia FR

Sierra Leone

Congo Somalia Others

Visa Grants by Top Ten Countries of Birth2004 - 2005

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

2004-05 5552 1429 1389 795 630 498 492 397 378 340 1386

Sudan Iraq Other Central

Afghanistan

Sierra Leone

Iran Kenya Egypt Ethiopia Other Souther

Others

State Distribution 2004/2005

0500

10001500200025003000350040004500

Series1

Fmr Yugoslavian2%

Ethiopian4%

Sudanese61%Iraqi

9%

Liberian7%

Iranian3%

Burundi2% Somali

1%

Eritrean1%

Congolese0.5% Other

1%

Sierra Leonean0.6%

Burmese4%

Afghani4%

IHSS Arrivals by Nationality to Victoria

Sudan 2005

Iraq 309

Liberia 221

Ethiopia 129

Afghanistan 126

Burma 125

Iran 96

Fmr Yug 64

Burundi 59

Somalia 34

Eritrea 23

Sierra Leone 19

DRC 15

Top 10 Victorian LGAs

0200400600800

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Series1

Map of Africa

Liberia

Brief History

• Gained independence 1847• State founded by freed American slaves• Dominated by minority Afro-American settlers• Instability began in 1980 with coup• 14 years of civil war ended in 2003• More than 200,000 killed and over 1 million fled• Situation still remains fragile

Facts & Figures

• Capital – Monrovia• Population – 3.5 million• 95% indigenous tribes 2.5-5% Americo-Liberians• Official languages: English & 29 African

languages• Predominantly Christian and indigenous beliefs• 57.5% literacy rate• Economy devastated – primary export rubber

Health• Life expectancy males 40 females 44 (who)• 80% of population lives on less than $1 per day

(WHO)• Health system breakdown• Malnutrition and water/sanitation related

diseases – cholera, dysentery, malaria• 5.9% Prevalence of HIV/AIDS – up to 20% in

some urban areas• Increase in gender based violence during

conflict

RefugeesPossible resettlement:• Mandingo (mainly muslim) or Krahn background

in Guinea• Urban refugees in Sierra Leone• Experienced multiple displacement• Survivors of violence & torture – incl. gender

based – ‘rebel wives’• Elderly and orphans

Number of Humanitarian visas granted in last 3 program years: 630

Current Intake• Group resettlement of mainly female-headed

households from Guinea and Ivory Coast under women at risk visa

• 60% Christian, 40% Muslim• 188 settling in Melbourne and Geelong• Most have been in camps since early 1990s• Many have experienced multiple displacement due to

fighting in country of exile• Survivors of violence & torture – often gender based

Sierra Leone

Brief History

• British Colony• Independence in 1961• 1991-2002 Civil War • 50,000 dead. Trademark of rebels was to hack

off victim’s hands• Civil war funded/perpetuated by diamond trade• 70,000 former combatants disarmed and

‘rehabilitated’• Peace remains fragile

Facts & Figures• Capital – Freetown• Population – 5.1 million• 90% African tribes, 10% Krio (descendants from

freed Jamaican slaves)• Official languages: English & Krio (Creole

derived from English) • 60% Muslim, 30% indigenous beliefs• 31.4% literacy rate• 2/3 population subsistence agriculture – hard

currency through diamonds

Health

• Life expectancy males 32 females 35 (WHO)• Gender violence serious threat to public health• High levels of malnutrition• Respiratory infections, diarrhoea, malaria • 7% Prevalence of HIV/AIDS –25% for the

military

Refugees

Possible resettlement:• Women at risk• Survivors of torture & trauma, including

amputees• Former unaccompanied minors who have

reached majority and have no family or other ties

Number of Humanitarian visas granted in last 3 program years: 711

Latest Intake

• From camp in Guinea (group resettlement along with the Liberians)

Burundi

Brief History• Belgian colony connected to Rwanda - Ruanda-Urundi • 1962 gains independence• Plagued by continuous ethnic conflict and massacres between

Tutsi minority and Hutu majority• 1988 Thousands of Hutus massacred and thousands flee over

border into Rwanda• 1993 first democratically elected President is Hutu – 4 months

later is assassinated• 1994 parliament appoints another Hutu President who is killed

later in the year when plane is shot down (Rwandan President also killed)

• 2003 government power-sharing arrangements brokered along with ceasefire.

• 2004 Dec disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process officially began

Facts and Figures

• Capital – Bujumbura• Population – over 6 million• 85% Hutu, 14% Tutsi• Official languages: Kirundi and French• Predominantly Christian• 51% literacy rate• Mainly subsistence agriculture

Health

• Life expectancy males 39 females 43 (who)

• 69% of population lives below poverty line (WHO)

• 4.1-8.8% Prevalence of HIV/AIDS• Prevalance of HIV/AIDs among adults with

TB – 35%• High prevalence of Malaria

Refugees• 1972• Refugees who fled to

Tanzania – more than 30 years in exile

• No longer have ties Burundi

• Likely group resettlement

• 1990s• Survivors of violence

& torture• Women at risk• Legal & protection

issues• Political profile• Mixed marriages

Number of Humanitarian visas granted in last 3 program years: 176

Latest Intake

• From camps in Tanzania• Average time in camps 8 years• No running water or electricity• Cuts in food rations by World Food

Program - malnutrition

RWANDA

Brief History

• Ex Belgian colony – Ruanda-Urundi (later to become Rwanda and Burundi)

• Belgium ruled indirectly through Tutsi kings• Tutsi minority Hutu majority• 1959 Tutsi king overthrown, tens of thousands of

Tutsis exiled to Uganda.• 1961 Rwanda gains independence• Periodic massacres of Tutsis

More Recently• Tutsi led Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) make invasions

from Uganda• 1993 President signs power-sharing agreement with

Tutsis• 1994 April, President killed along with Burundian

president when plane shot down.• This triggers genocidal attacks against Tutsis and

moderate Hutus• RPF launch military campaign & regain control of country

in July• Approx 2 million Rwandans, mainly Hutu forced into exile

in neighboring states

Facts & Figures

• Capital Kigali • Pop – almost 8 million• 84% Hutu, 15% Tutsi• Three official languages: Kinyarwanda

(Bantu), French & English• Predominantly Christian• 70% literacy rate• Mainly subsistence agriculture

Health

• 25% of sexually active urban population has HIV/Aids (UNDP, 1999)

• 10-11% in rural areas• Life expectancy males 38 females 39• 34% female headed households

Refugees

• 2004 UNHCR sponsored repatriation exercise – Amnesty has concerns

• Rwandans in need of resettlement:– Women at risk– Couples in mixed marriages– Traumatised survivors of extreme violence– Refugees with no local integration prospects– Hutu opponents of the current regime

SudanSOUTH: • Civil war >20 years• >2 million dead• >4 million displaced• >570,000 refugees• Peace accord signed

January 2005DARFUR:• Fighting since Feb 03• 1.6 million displaced• 17,000 dead

South

• 21 year civil war between North (Arab) and South (African)

• 2 million killed• 4 million displaced• Peace deal signed Jan 2005

– South to get greater autonomy and an independence referendum in 6 years

– North to receive equal share of oil reserves that are ma

Darfur

• 2003 separate fighting broke out in western region of Darfur after rebels seeking greater autonomy began insurrection

• Pro-govt Arab militias accused of ethnic cleansing – Tens of thousands killed– 1.8 million displaced (internally and over

border into Chad)

Facts and Figures

• Population: 35 million• Capital: Khartoum• Languages: Arabic (official), Nubian• Religions: Islam, Christianity• Life expectancy: 54 (men), 57 (women)• Health figures for southern Sudan difficult to

establish due to destruction of infrastructure• Widespread poverty and illiteracy

Democratic Republic of Congo• 3.8 million deaths in 5 years• Ongoing conflict despite

2003 peace agreement• 31,000 deaths in 18 months

> “peace”• Fighting for access to

natural resources• Rwandan complication• Violations by UN troops• Vulnerable groups include

ethnic minorities, mixed marriages and torture trauma survivors

Togo• Unstable since achieving

independence from the French in 1960

• Very poor human rights record – especially by military

• Sanctions have destroyed economy

• Political crisis in early 2005

• Resettlement for long term refugees unable to return

Bhutan• 1988 - ethnic Nepalese

declared “illegal immigrants”

• 1990 – violent clashes lead to exodus

• >100,000 now living in crowded and dangerous camps in Eastern Nepal

• Nepal says they must return to Bhutan. Bhutan will only allow small numbers to return

• Standoff – complicated by political unrest in Nepal