Dr Sara Davis writes an article, originally published in The Conversation, discussing the need for a regional refugee summit that brings together civil society, humanitarian groups, international organisations, academics and politicians.
“The Australian government should seek a regional approach that supports and enables engagement between local, national and regional NGOs, the UNHCR, regional governments and refugee groups. These discussions need to be outside of the migration focus and outside of the deterrence model that focuses on the supply side — people smuggling and trafficking. Rather, it must engage with the demand — the asylum seekers themselves.
An “individual asylum needs”-focused approach rather than a “state versus people smuggler” approach may start to yield a more sustainable solution if breaking the business model is the goal. Deterrence does not mitigate demand. It may provide a temporary limit on demand, but in the longer term, this makes people more determined and desperate to find a way to go where they need to go for protection.”
To read the full article use the following link: http://protectiongateway.com/2013/08/15/asylum-solutions-we-need-a-regional-refugee-compact/