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
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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