Fighting for Justice: Meet Rathy Barthlote

If you’ve been following Asylum Seeker Resource Centre’s (ASRC) advocacy – from Parliament visits to refugee-led protests and demands for justice for people seeking asylum – you will likely know the name and face of Rathy Barthlote. A tireless human rights advocate and co-founder of Refugee Women Action for Visa Equality, Rathy has become a key voice in the fight against Australia’s broken system.

In 2006, Rathy and her husband fled the genocide in Sri Lanka. They arrived in Australia seeking asylum in 2013, only to find themselves trapped in an unfair visa processing system.

“For more than a decade, we have been trapped, left in limbo, waiting, suffering, forgotten,” says Rathy. “We are not living, we are just surviving. We’ve lost years, we’ve lost loved ones, we’ve lost pieces of ourselves. In our country, we are in prison. But here, we are in an open prison.”

More than 8,000 people still remain on temporary visas, many without work or study rights. “When Labor won the election, we were celebrating because we thought something was going to happen to our lives,” says Rathy. “But nothing happened.”

The prolonged separation from family has also taken an immense toll. Rathy hasn’t seen her mother in nearly 19 years. “She is always telling me that she wants to see me and hug me before she dies – this is so hard for me, not knowing when I will be able to see her again.” 

Now a mother herself, Rathy has two children – her first child was born in India and her second child, now 11, was born in Australia and is an Australian citizen. Rathy works as a support worker, helping vulnerable Australians in aged care, runs her own business and volunteers with the Red Cross. 

A fearless activist, Rathy co-founded Refugee Women Action for Visa Equality, a Melbourne-based advocacy group led primarily by refugee women from Iran and Sri Lanka.  In 2023, the group walked 640 kilometres from Melbourne to Canberra to call on the Albanese Government to end the prolonged uncertainty. Their campaign has highlighted both the psychological toll of indefinite limbo and the vital contributions these individuals have made to Australian society. 

From July to October 2024, Rathy was one of the key organisers of a 100-day refugee protest encampment outside the Department of Home Affairs in Docklands, Melbourne. The encampment became a community hub, a library and a powerful platform amplifying refugee voices and bringing together people seeking asylum and supporters in a strong show of solidarity and resistance. Despite facing attacks from neo-Nazi groups and pressure from the council, security guards and the police, the protest endured.

“We started this 24/7 action because we feel desperate,” said Rathy during the protest. “The past 100 days have been hard, very hard, but we feel stronger every day as the Australian community stands with us. We will keep going until all the children, men and women can fully call Australia home, with permanent visas.”

More recently, Rathy joined an ASRC delegation on another trip to Canberra. The delegation included four refugees from Iran and Sri Lanka, all living in Australia for over 13 years, them or their families working in critical sectors like aged care and disability support, and some with young children who have spent their entire lives in Australia. Together, they urged the government to deliver a fair, permanent solution for people seeking asylum.  

Their message to the politicians was clear: end the cruelty and create a fair and consistent process for the thousands left behind. “I wish to be heard and for a permanent solution to be given to us,” said Rathy. “That’s why I went to Parliament. We went to speak directly to politicians and share the impact this cruelty has had on our lives. We are treated as temporary, as if we don’t belong but our pain is permanent, and our fight for justice is real.”

“I worry about my kids’ future. They only know this country,” continued Rathy. “Victoria is my community, we have worked and paid taxes and contributed extensively to the Australian community. All we want is a chance to live with dignity, to rebuild, to be free.”

It is long past time for Australia to fulfill its responsibility to protect refugees and people seeking asylum, to uphold freedom, fairness and safety for all, and give people like Rathy a real chance at a future in the country she calls home.

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