Afghan asylum seekers unfairly targeted

This past week the Immigration Department released new refugee selection criteria, applicable only to Afghan asylum-seekers. Under the new guidelines it is set to be significantly more difficult for Afghan nationals to be recognised as refugees, having to prove they face a ‘real chance’ of persecution, rather than one that is not ‘remote or far-fetched’. Combine this with the government’s recent attempt to finalise a deportation arrangement between Australia and Kabul and the way is being paved for hundreds of Afghan asylum seekers to be expediently refused and deported.

In fact this process has already begun, with the acceptance rate of Afghan asylum seekers falling drastically – from almost 100 percent earlier this year to a current acceptance rate of somewhere around 50 percent. This is in spite of the continuing escalation of the conflict within the country, with a 69 percent increase in security incidents this year over the number seen in 2009. Violence is being increasingly directed towards civilians, with civilian causalities by anti-government elements rising by 53 percent compared to 2009.

The generalised threat caused by armed conflict alone does not constitute a valid reason for seeking asylum. However, the escalation of the conflict is indicative of the growing strength of insurgent forces and the continuing inability of the government to adequately protect its citizenry. In the past year the Taliban has grown significantly, boosting the size of its fighting force by at least 5,000. There is a growing recognition that the Taliban will not be defeated militarily, with both NATO forces and the Karzai government now seeking to engage them in peace talks. It is the Taliban’s enduring strength and their growing legitimacy that poses a significant risk to a specific subset of Afghans – ethnic Hazaras, who make up the majority of Afghans seeking asylum in Australia.

The Taliban overwhelmingly consists of members of ethnic Pashtun tribes, an ethnic majority who for centuries have persecuted the Shia Muslim Hazaras. During their time in power Taliban forces were documented engaging in the wholesale massacre of Hazaras. Having been the victims of ethnic and religious-based persecution under the Taliban regime, Hazara people understandably sought refuge outside of their homeland. Afghans seeking asylum in Australia have and continue to be overwhelmingly of Hazara ethnicity. It is difficult to understand why the Australian government would consider sending these people back to a country in which the people who persecuted them continue to constitute a very real, if not growing threat.

The security situation is worsening and Afghan Hazaras are still at risk of persecution. So why is our government moving to return these people? The answer lies primarily not in Afghanistan, but much closer to home. The government hopes sorely to lessen the heat they have faced in the wake of this year’s record number of boat arrivals. Afghans, and more specifically Afghan Hazaras, comprise the vast majority of asylum seekers in Australia. By making it more difficult for these people to be recognised as legitimate refugees and making it easier to return them if their claims for asylum are rejected, the government hopes to discourage people from seeking asylum in Australia.

Once again it is those most vulnerable and in need of protection that suffer as a result of our ‘tough’ border policy. On one hand the Australian government acknowledges that the security situation in Afghanistan has not improved, while in next instance arguing that conditions for Hazaras have improved enough for them to be returned home. This is a dangerous road to tread. The political pressure the government faces over the arrival of asylum seekers on our shore is a problem of their own creation. In their race to be seen as the crusading guardians of Australia’s borders they are at least partially responsible for fostering a negative attitude towards those who arrive seeking refuge. An expedient, en masse deportation of Afghans represents a way to alleviate some of the pressure the Gillard government now faces on this issue, showing they can successfully combat the imagined deluge of ‘illegals’ and ‘queue-jumpers’.

Ultimately, Afghan asylum seekers are being unfairly singled out. These people are faced with the prospect of being returned to a country in which the security situation continues to deteriorate and the Taliban remains a real threat to their safety. Whatever harm may befall these people upon their return home, we must shoulder the burden of knowing we could have done more to prevent it.