Voices of New Zealand Asylum Seekers are seldom heard

‘When I was at the airport I said to Immigration I was looking to claim asylum, they should have given me information, even told me what my rights were.’

‘They told me to go out of the airport and look at all the taxi drivers until I found one that looked like they were from my country.’

‘The police provided an interpreter. After the interview, he told me, ‘You will leave the airport.’ I asked, ‘Where to go? Who to approach?’ I was given a list of places that I couldn’t read – I ended with a group of people that used and abused me, I was abused very badly.’

‘All they helped you with is just to fill a form, not much else. Very weak help. One of the ladies there used tissue paper to hold my pen because she didn’t want to touch my pen because I had touched it.’

‘If you are employer, would you employ me with the three or four months visa status? No one wanted to.’

‘You start to feel like rubbish about yourself... but you need to front and face all this by yourself.’

For the tiny amount of asylum seekers that arrive to this country annually, (only about 300) each should be entitled to a minimum of support and guidance. In reality, it doesn’t work that way. New arrivals are frightened, often traumatized from the life-threatening situation that has driven them here—confused, unsure—they have to navigate an entirely foreign new Kiwi world.

Come hear the sound of these unheard voices and their call to get equal treatment and resources that UNHCR Quota refugees receive:

When: Tuesday, 4:00-5:30pm, December 10th.
[International Human Rights Day].
Where: Grey Lynn Community Centre, 510 Richmond Road, Auckland.
What: The release of ‘Marking Time’ a ChangeMakers and National Refugee Network
research project that profiles 18 voices of asylum seekers speaking
about the challenges New Zealand’s asylum
seekers have to overcome.

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