where Do refugees come from?

Refugees can come from every corner of the world. They come from different places at different times, depending on where there are currently wars, or governments which treat their people badly

 

Data table showing top 10 offshore refugee visa grants (2005-2006) in Australia by country of birth (from The Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Australia.)

	Sudan	3,660
	Iraq	1,834
	Afghanistan	1,508
	Liberia	554
	Sierra Leone	508
	Burma (Myanmar)	506
	Burundi	442
	Iran	392
	Tanzania	372
	Kenya	320

 

Sudan

A major refugee producing country is Sudan in north-eastern Africa. Over 2 million people have died during Sudan's 18 year long civil war, a further 2 million have fled as refugees, and an estimated 300 Sudanese people die each day of war-related causes. The government continually blocks the delivery of humanitarian aid (including much needed food) to civilian locations, and has launched numerous air strikes against humanitarian and civilian targets. This has lead to the destruction schools, hospitals and relief centres, as well as people's livelihoods as land, livestock and crops are destroyed. More than 4 million people (almost 80%) of the population of southern Sudan have been forced to flee their homes at least once, constituting the largest internally displaced population in the world. The government spends over 1 million dollars a day on the war.

The Sudanese army and pro-government militias are also responsible for the forcible recruitment of young boys as child soldiers, hundreds of whom have been killed, injured or died of starvation or disease. Militias also frequently capture women and children from the south and force them into sexual slavery.

Many refugee’s come to Australia from Refugee Camps. A lot of those people who escape from Sudan come via Kakuma Refugee Camp.

 

Kakuma Refugee Camp - Northern Kenya

There are 95,000 people in Kakuma camp, from Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea. There is insufficient food and water and many in the camp face nutrition problems. There are limited medical facilities and schooling is provided for all of the children. However, because they lack some of the most basic necessities, such as sanitary towels, many teenage girls can not attend school. Temperatures during the day can reach 40 degrees and only drop to the low 30’s at night. It is desert land, with regular choking dust storms.

The camp is situated on the lands traditionally inhabited by the Turkana tribe who are nomadic people. The presence of large numbers of refugees has lead to conflict with the Turkana. There are also conflicts between different ethnic and tribal groups of refugees within the camp. Many of the Tukarnas and the refugee’s own AK 47 rifles. There is a very high incidence of rape and sexual abuse of women and girls.

The camp is designated a danger area by UNHCR and therefore staff working in Kakuma are not allowed to have their families live in or near the camp. Travel to the capital Nairobi 840 km away is difficult and dangerous.

It is not possible for people to grow crops without water. There is a lack of employment opportunities and lack of access to markets for the sale of goods. People in the camp rely mostly on international assistance for their survival. Some refugees have lived in camps for 10 years with no hope of return. For them resettlement is the only hope for a decent future for themselves and their children. Life is very hard in Kakuma camp.

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