Leading refugee advocates have used World Refugee Day to call for a "rethink" on Australia’s approach to refugee policy.
The globally recognised day falls during International Refugee Week, which this year is themed ‘With Refugees’, encouraging the community to better connect with refugees.
The day provides Syrian refugee, Rnita Dacho, the chance to reflect on her new life in Australia.
Rnita Dacho with her mother, Khochibo Warda. Source: Supplied
Ms Dacho fled Syria during the country’s civil war in 2015 and said while adjusting to life in Sydney has been challenging, she feels at ease with her new life.
“When we arrived ... I actually had a panic attack because I didn’t know how to speak English and people were speaking around me ... How am I going to survive? How I'm actually going to study make new friends, work have new friends here in the country,” Ms Dacho said.
She is hopeful the awareness from the annual event also helps break down misconceptions.
“All those myths that people say like refugees they don't like to work or study, look at us, look at other success stories,” she said.
Refugee Council of Australia CEO Paul Power said the occasion is an opportune time for Australia to reconsider its policy on offshore detention and boat turnbacks.
“The focus on Australia's engagement each year and Refugee Week and with World Refugee Day does provide an opportunity for some reflection and some rethinking about what Australia is doing,” Mr Power said.
“The International message that Australia has sent about the harsh treatment of asylum seekers is being much more widely heard than the fact that the country has played a significant role in welcoming thousands of refugees and that Australia has actually matured into a quite diverse and relatively inclusive society,” he said.
Director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, Professor Jane McAdam, told SBS News Australia needs a new approach to refugee policy.
“We're calling for a more humane, compassionate but also legal approach to the protection of refugees for people seeking asylum. For many decades Australia was a world leader in refugee protection but in the last 25 years we've lost our way,” Professor McAdam said.
“What we also need to remember is that a successful refugee policy not only manages borders but it actually provides people in need with protection safety and a future,”
The issue isn’t just a concern for human rights advocates, but also refugees who have sought asylum in Australia, including Misra Ibrahim.
Misra Ibrahim with her young daughter. Source: SBS News
The 25-year-old fled Ethiopia in 2015 after enduring years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her family.
She said while she is grateful for the opportunities in Australia she worries about asylum seekers being held in detention.
“It's very disheartening and difficult for refugees and other humanitarians to watch them (refugees in detention) and not be able to help them if the Government made it easier for them to resettle and for them to be allowed to have a home,” she said.
Since arriving Ms Ibrahim has started her own family in Australia and said while she initially struggled to integrate, raising her family in the country reminds her of how lucky she feels.
Misra Ibrahim with her young daughter. Source: SBS News
“Life with my daughter is amazing. I wanted to give her this, like I wanted her to have safety and freedom and get education and live like a good life that was safe from abuse and I wouldn't have been able to provide that for her if I wasn't Australia,”
International Refugee Week runs until 22 June.
