ASYLUM SEEKERS SPEACH BY GRACE SAROTA

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Good afternoon, I am Mohammed Malik, I am an asylum seeker. I fled my home country
Afghanistan to seek international protection here in Australia. There are many reasons as to why i and many other asylum seekers fled our home countries. As human beings we value respect, in the countries we asylum seekers come from our human rights are not being respected, this is the major reason as to why we are forced to flee our homes. In most cases, especially in middle eastern countries people like myself have to flee our countries because of religious prosecutions, others because of their race, gender or ethnicity, many also flee because of their political stances or social status.

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I’m originally from Afghanistan, I came to Australia on a boat on what is called an unauthorised arrival. In other words “illegally”. This is because my life as well as my families life was being threatened back in Afghanistan. I had no choice. I had to leave.

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The Australian government provides protection for asylum seekers who meet the united definitions of a refugee. Although this is true Australian are completely ignorant to the fact that we asylum seekers have come to Australia for a reason. We seek help and protection from the Australian government because of the war and the conflict happening in our countries, many of my brothers and family members have died due to war in Afghanistan. The
Australian Government plans to send any boat people who come to Australia on an unauthorised arrival back, they refuse to acknowledge the fact that there are many other better alternatives. Many “boat people” have professional qualifications, why cant the government give them jobs instead of sending them back to a place where there lives and those of their families are in danger. This is an act of pure discrimination.

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The government treats Asylum seekers with such disrespect and cruelty. They lock us in horrific detention centre, detrimental to our health and well-being. Why do they treat us like criminals. We are not criminals. What most people