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Australia must increase refugee intake: Agencies
Intercepted: Two motor launches from an Australian naval vessel intercept a boat carrying asylum seekers off Australian shores in April
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Intercepted: Two motor launches from an Australian naval vessel intercept a boat carrying asylum seekers off Australian shores in April. (Courtesy of the Australian department of home affairs, via Associated Press) (Courtesy of the Australian department of home affairs, via Associated Press)
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span class="inline inline-center">Intercepted: Two motor launches from an Australian naval vessel intercept a boat carrying asylum seekers off Australian shores in April. (Courtesy of the Australian department of home affairs, via Associated Press)
Three aid agencies are calling on the Australian government to show greater compassion for Syrian refugees as the global refugee crisis continues to worsen. They say that good intentions for one region must not prolong suffering in other areas.
In an advertisement placed in Tuesday's edition of The Australian, Oxfam, World Vision and Save the Children called on the Australian government to urgently increase the country's humanitarian intake of refugees to 30,000 in response to the global refugee crisis.
The call comes after the government announced that it would increase its intake of Syrian refugees without, however, increasing the total number of humanitarian visas available.
Oxfam Australia acting executive director Pam Anders said it was heartening to see politicians focusing their attention on people who were affected by the conflict in Syria. However, she said, they were still failing to see the big picture.
'The Australian government's compassion toward Syrian refugees must not come at the expense of refugees fleeing violence and persecution in other countries,' said Anders.
'Australia can, and must, do more. No single country can solve the global refugee crisis, but, as one of the world's richest countries, Australia has a moral obligation to act, and to act now.'
It is estimated that four million people have had to flee Syria to escape the civil war. Globally, the number of people displaced by conflict is almost 60 million, making it the highest number of people forced to flee their homes since World War II.
World Vision chief executive Tim Costello said the image of a Syrian toddler, Aylan Kurdi, who died at sea last week had touched many people.
'But Aylan is just one of millions of Syrians who have been forced to flee their homes. They, as well as refugees from other countries, will continue to embark on perilous journeys as long as they face the daily threat of being abused, tortured or killed,' he said.
The agencies say the world's poorer countries currently host 86 percent of the world's refugees, and they are stretched to their limits. The Labor and Greens parties have welcomed calls for an increase in the intake of Syrian refugees on top of, not as part of, the current overall refugee intake.
Save The Children chief executive Paul Ronalds said, 'The government must increase Australia's overall humanitarian intake of refugees, rather than reshuffling the current allocation which is effectively robbing Peter to pay Paul.' (ebf) (++++)
