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A Well-Founded Fear
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Enlarge textWednesday 19th November 8.30pm
Every year, thousands of people flee their homelands to escape war and
persecution. The people who make it to Australia end up in detention
centres while their claims for asylum are being processed. This can take
months, if not years and can lead to a sense of profound uncertainty. The Australian Government eventually sends back asylum seekers it
deems not to be refugees, and who can’t prove they have “a
well-founded fear” for their safety.
View the web forum archive with producer Anne Delaney and social justice advocate Phil Glendenning HERE.
- 58 Comments | Join the discussion
International law however stipulates that people shouldn’t be sent to unsafe locations. But like many countries that deport asylum seekers, the Australian Government does not always monitor what happens to those they send back – often it is not regarded as their responsibility.
Related News Coverage
- 'Beheaded after trying for asylum in Australia' - SMH
- 'Australia probes Afghan killings' - BBC UK
- 'Refugees Australia rejected "killed by Taliban"' - NEWS.com.au
A Well-Founded Fear follows the work of a small group of committed Australians who have made it their mission to find the asylum seekers Australia has rejected.
Phil Glendenning, Director of the Edmund Rice Centre, a small social justice agency, has been travelling the globe in search of rejected asylum seekers. To date he and his colleagues have tracked down over 250 returnees in 22 countries. What they have found has troubled and disturbed them all.
A Well-Founded Fear follows Phil as he searches for returned asylum seekers on a recent trip to Afghanistan and the Middle East. In Afghanistan he meets a group of Hazara men who all spent time in detention on Nauru, the Pacific Island Australia paid to detain asylum seekers offshore. When the Taliban lost Government in late 2001, Australian authorities told them their homeland was now safe. Phil learns however of at least nine Afghan deportees who were killed when they were sent back. He also learns Australia has been deporting people to Syria on short-term visas who aren’t Syrian. When their Syrian visas run out they must go into hiding. Equally disturbing is evidence that Australia has been knowingly using false passports to deport the returnees.
- A Well-Founded Fear - November Films (Official Site)
The film’s producer Anne Delaney wanted to discover what motivates Phil to do what no one else has done: “I wanted to show the policies, practices and attitudes that have put people’s lives in danger. I believe the film shows humanity at its best, and worst.”
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Comments (58)
18 May 2009 19:25 AEST
From: Sunshine Coast
Well Founded Fear
There are an estimated 22million refugees in the world. ALL could be said to be in fear of their lives, otherwise they would not be living in refugee camps. How many do you propose Australia takes? 1 million, 10 million? We would then turn our peaceful country into the same as what these people had left. If you really want to solve the refugee problem then stop ALL THE ARMAMENTS ENTERING THEIR COUNTRIES. No guns/bullets/army trucks/uniforms etc etc. Throw stones-then they will go home!
02 Dec 2008 16:56 AEST
From: hobart
UN Refugee Convention COuntries near to Afghanistan
If the asylum seekers shown in the documentary felt their lives were threatened and in great danger could not they and their families have travelled to one of the several countries near Afghanistan that are signatories to the UN Refugee Convention and applied for protection there. Signatories to the UN Refugee Convention in the immediate region of Afghanistan are Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan Turkey and Turkmenistan.
01 Dec 2008 8:45 AEST
From: north rocks
no asylum seekers here
look i have read all the comments and look all your goody to gooder what about the wrong people abusing the system eg one man came seeking asylum said he had a problem in iraq well listen he got his family here was working cash money and getting centrelink for 5 kids now he took his kids back to IRAQ and his wife has left australia to join him in IRAQ on the 29th nov.The government needs to be aware of this and guest what his is still getting centrelink why he is away.he had not problem there
29 Nov 2008 5:41 AEST
From: Lane Cove
A well founded war .....
..... let me finish that previous comment by myself "Howard & Co don't know anything but a privileged and safe life - heartless & soulless " ..... and to all those so concerned about people ripping off Centrelink and getting cash in hand jobs - lets take a huge, huge look in our own backyard first - Australians of all shapes, sizes and colours are doing it! So stopy being hyprocritical, if Barry the Builder, fourth generation "Australian" be dodgey, why can't someone by the name of Mohamad?!?!
28 Nov 2008 16:48 AEST
From: Lane Cove
A well founded war .....
I find it odd as we hear of another Australian soldier who has been killed in Afghanistan. These are professional soldiers armed and protected by armour, fed, clothed and housed - if they can get killed how does any government expect someone with little to no possessions in a country of little to no employment to survive in general let alone survive against a regime such as the Taliban. Problem was and still is - Howard & Co don't know anything but a privileged and safe life - heartless & soul
24 Nov 2008 10:58 AEST
From: sydney
wake up
I have read all our comments and I can tell you all who dont believe these people are ripping of our system.I know of one man and his wife yes they are iraqi firstly they were living in jordan came to australia Port Hedland____with 2 kids now he has 2 shopping trolley businesses in queensland doesnt pay taxes had another 3 kids and living on CENTRELINK. I know aussie might do this but they must have paid some taxes through the years.These people think it is their right to get CENTRLINK
22 Nov 2008 15:22 AEST
From: darwin
ultimately we are all human?
first of all there always those who will screw the system. but there are many that do not. that does not mean we need to be less vigilant about those who may truly be at risk. the fundamental issue is that these people are people. their nationality doesnt make anyone less human, our actions when we send people back without jumping through hoops because of bigotry does make us less than human. ultimately thats what this comes down to. a right to live peacefully without fear.
21 Nov 2008 14:06 AEST
From: bankstown
learn from the mistakes
im only 17 years old , and i dont think ive ever lost so much faith in our government and especially the immigration system. I know people will always disagree......you can argue all day about whether these people were genuine refugees or whether their claims were adequately assessed, but i think we can all agree that nobody on earth deserves to feel threatened in any way & most importantly, nobody deserves to lose their child, their parents or their family . I really hope things get better.
21 Nov 2008 13:51 AEST
From: hobart
Adrienne Millbank
Marilyn states: "Adrienne Millbank is not an expert on the situation. She is a former immigration stooge." So, a logical, reasoned and well researched academic paper by a respected academic at Monash University does not satisfy Marilyn. Maybe Marilyn would be persuaded if Ms Millbank resorted to the type of infantile personal abuse that Marilyn herself seems to invariably resort to. Marilyn, why no comment about http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/11/12/1037080728677.html
21 Nov 2008 13:34 AEST
From: hobart
Secondary Movement Asylum Seekers
The UNHCR was sufficiently concerned about secondary movement asylum seekers eroding the international refugee protection system that a few years ago it issued a paper entitled ‘A Comprehensive Approach to Secondary Movement in the Asia-Pacific Region’. The paper was unfortunately not made publicly available. For a view on the detention centers refer to the following: elecpress.monash.edu.au/pnp/cart/download/free.php?paper=45
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