2006年VOA标准英语-African Refugees in Australia Face Tough Road

By Phil Mercer
Sydney
17 July 2006

Men escape from the Woomera Detention¹ Center for asylum² seekers in Woomera, Australia (File photo)   
  
A new study has highlighted the enormous problems facing African refugees in Australia. The trauma³ and uncertainty⁴ many have experienced in their home countries and in transit⁵ camps have simply not prepared them for living in a culturally diverse society such as Australia. There are the usual problems newcomers anywhere face, language, and social isolation⁶. But racism⁷, for the blacks, has been identified as a major problem. 

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Godfrey, a refugee from Sudan, enjoys time with his young son in their small suburban⁸ apartment. His new life in Australia has so far been a disappointment.

Godfrey, who would only give his first name, spent years in refugee camps in Uganda before arriving in Sydney at the start of May. He feels isolated⁹.

"Really, I don't cope with life yet, because most of the time I spend my time in the house with the kids and so lonely," he said. "There's nothing for me to do. In Africa I did a lot of things but right now I'm just in the house with the kids."

Q: "Was this the sort of life that you were expecting coming from Africa to Sydney?"

A: "I know life outside there is not life like Africa. I have to adjust myself and then do it."

Q: "How long do you think it will be before you feel comfortable, productive and happy in Australia?"

A: "Well, if I get something to do. If I improve my education also that will improve my living standard."

Australia grants visas to around 13,000 refugees every year under official humanitarian¹⁰ programs. The vast majority, about 70 percent, come from Africa.

A recent study by the University of Western Sydney says that large numbers of African migrants are having resettlement problems in Australia because of traumas¹¹ in their past, and the alien culture they now live in.

Research has shown that many African refugees spent more than a decade living in camps after escaping war and famine before moving to Australia.

The report says some African refugees are making the adjustment, but it says Africans tend to take longer to resettle than refugees from such countries as Iraq or Afghanistan. Racism can make them feel unwanted and afraid.

A couple from Zimbabwe, who like most refugees were reluctant to give their names, have found life difficult since they arrived in Sydney two years ago. The man, in particular, talks of being shunned¹².

 
Arsalin Nazeri, spokesman for International Federation¹³ of Iranian Refugees hangs several posters supporting refugee rights at rally in a Sydney park (File photo) 
  
"You get into a train or a bus. You take a seat, no-one wants to sit next to you. Some people prefer to stand. They don't sit next to you. It happens a lot. Sometimes, like, people you'll see that they are talking about you, they are laughing about you. Although you do not hear what they are saying, but you see that they are laughing at you," he said.

"The standard of living is very good. It's a high standard of living, but it has been a bit hard because you really have to work hard. You have no time with the kids especially, you're always at work. That's how you survive, especially the first two years," she said. "We thought it would be a bit easier."

The government says it appreciates that life is not always easy for new migrants. However, it says millions of dollars are spent on resettlement programs, including language courses and adult education. Migrants are assigned case workers, who help with them to learn about how their new society works.

Racial discrimination comes from the likes of the conservative One Nation party, which wants the government to stop resettling African refugees. The party's Bob Vinnicombe believes that black Africans have no place in Australia.

"They are too different to us. The culture they come from is too different to ours. We don't know their background. They could have diseases. They could have T.B., they could have AIDS. They could have criminal records. They come from war-torn countries," Vinnicombe said.

Asked where people like these should go, Vinnicombe says countries where the people are similar to them - other black African countries, for instance.

It seems that most Australians do not share these views. Liz Horsman of Sydney expresses the often-heard view that multiculturalism¹⁴ is having a healthy influence on society here.

"It's the way the world's going," she explained. "I think we need to embrace it in a really positive way because it's the future of the world, and if we can make something positive, then that means we don't have conflict, and we can either go a negative path or a positive path."

Community worker Joffrey Mangwi Mugi says adjusting to a new life is tough, for a variety of reasons.

"We have issues of employment, generational problems, cross-cultural problems and many other problems that are raised by the communities," said Mugi. "These problems are coming because they sometimes fail to settle easily. They don't know how the systems work. Like, the transport system, the banking¹⁵, the housing and all these kind of things."

Modern-day Australia has been shaped by half a century of mass migration¹⁶. Groups that were subjected to discrimination in the past, such as the Greeks and the Italians, have now become valued and accepted. It may take time, but migrants from Africa are hoping they, too, will eventually achieve the same sense of belonging.

1 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

2 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

3 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

4 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

5 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

6 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

7 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

8 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

9 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

10 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

11 traumas   

n.心灵创伤( trauma的名词复数 )；损伤；痛苦经历；挫折

参考例句：

• She felt exhausted after the traumas of recent weeks. 她经受了最近几个星期的痛苦之后感到精疲力竭。
• Conclusion: Safety lens of spectacles can protect the occurrence of ocular traumas. 结论：安全镜片可以预防眼镜碎片所致的眼外伤。 来自互联网

12 shunned   

v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲着她。
• He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是个怕羞的人，总是避开一切引人注目的活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

14 multiculturalism   

n.多元文化

参考例句：

• Switzerland is well known for cheese fondue, penguin parades and its multiculturalism. 瑞士一向以芝士火锅，企鹅游行和多元文化等特色闻名于世。
• That may be one reason why multiculturalism came easily to it. 这也是多元文化容易适应发展的原因之一。

15 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

16 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。