Afghan Asylum Seekers


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Other articles by Maria Amiri Warsaw University Scholarship Program for Afghan Students in Jeopardy	Afghan Asylum Seekers in Poland WHEN DREAMS DON’T ALWAYS COME TRUE... By Maria Amiri, Warsaw, Poland, April 8, 2004. During the long years of war in Afghanistan, millions of Afghan citizens escaped abroad, leaving their homes, works and relatives behind, with the hope to find better lives in peace and prosperity. Their final destinations were mostly Pakistan and Iran but also Western Europe, America and Australia. In those days, it was easier for many Afghans to be accepted as a refugee in Western countries, not only due to the protection the Geneva Conventions and international law provided, but also because the host countries had lesser strict rules, especially in view of the fact that Afghans were fighting against the Soviet super-power. However, in doing so, some countries, such as the United States, had their political agenda. Poland, along other European Countries, provided Afghan asylum seekers with security and shelter. Since signing the 1951 Geneva Convention on refugees, Poland has gained experience and developed good practices in the field of refugee protection. After the fall of the Taliban and the formation of a new Government, many countries are arguing that there is peace in Afghanistan now and that the Afghans must return and be involved in the reconstruction process of their war-ravaged country. Indeed, many Afghans return from exile, aiming at living in and rebuilding their beloved homeland, but others are still taking the road to exile. Their intentions and their destinations are very different. A major motivation for those aiming at the West is that they argue they have no future if they stay in their country. Afghan asylum-seekers journey thousands of kilometres in hazardous conditions. They spend months (up to 6-10 months) until they reach Europe. But for some of them, the journey stops in Poland. They pay about US $ 6,000 to 8,000 per person in advance; a method that puts the fate of the credulous hopefuls entirely in the hands of their smugglers, for whom people’s lives are not worth much. While Afghan refugees pay proportionally large sums to reach Western Europe (mostly Germany, England, Holland, etc.) they are dumped on the way in the forests of Eastern Poland. It is then a tough wake-up call for the asylum seekers who abruptly realize they have paid too much and too early for their dreams. They feel confused and frightened. They wander helpless until they are found by the Polish police, which often times picks them up within a month of their clandestine entry into Poland. For those who have a chance to stay, there is no guarantee that they will be offered legal residency and that they would be able to enjoy the same rights as Polish citizens. As for others, they are first brought to the main refugee-camp in Debak, in the suburbs of Warsaw. At Debak, they are interrogated by the Polish authorities and are permitted to apply for permission to stay. But, more often than not, to no avail. Warsaw allows asylum seekers to appeal once the decision. Rejected asylum seekers who agree to go back to Afghanistan may receive some support. Otherwise, it is the sad path towards becoming an illegal alien and eventually end up homeless, surviving in dire conditions in a foreign land with no knowledge of the local language. Polish authorities say there are a few hundreds Afghan refugees in different camps. They are young men, women and children, all with uncertain futures. When I asked these refugees about the reasons why they left Afghanistan (especially now that the situation has improved), answers varied a great deal, but I found that it is often about finding a better life in Europe where they hoped to study, work and support their families back home. But their hopes ends abruptly when they find themselves cheated by the unscrupulous smugglers who took their money and dumped them on the road, in the middle of nowhere, far from their dreams and aspirations. // © Maria Amiri 2004.

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Other articles by Maria Amiri

Warsaw University Scholarship Program for Afghan Students in Jeopardy

Afghan Asylum Seekers in Poland

WHEN DREAMS DON’T ALWAYS COME TRUE...

By Maria Amiri,

Warsaw, Poland, April 8, 2004.

During the long years of war in Afghanistan, millions of Afghan citizens escaped abroad, leaving their homes, works and relatives behind, with the hope to find better lives in peace and prosperity. Their final destinations were mostly Pakistan and Iran but also Western Europe, America and Australia.

In those days, it was easier for many Afghans to be accepted as a refugee in Western countries, not only due to the protection the Geneva Conventions and international law provided, but also because the host countries had lesser strict rules, especially in view of the fact that Afghans were fighting against the Soviet super-power. However, in doing so, some countries, such as the United States, had their political agenda.

Poland, along other European Countries, provided Afghan asylum seekers with security and shelter. Since signing the 1951 Geneva Convention on refugees, Poland has gained experience and developed good practices in the field of refugee protection.

After the fall of the Taliban and the formation of a new Government, many countries are arguing that there is peace in Afghanistan now and that the Afghans must return and be involved in the reconstruction process of their war-ravaged country. Indeed, many Afghans return from exile, aiming at living in and rebuilding their beloved homeland, but others are still taking the road to exile. Their intentions and their destinations are very different. A major motivation for those aiming at the West is that they argue they have no future if they stay in their country.

Afghan asylum-seekers journey thousands of kilometres in hazardous conditions. They spend months (up to 6-10 months) until they reach Europe. But for some of them, the journey stops in Poland. They pay about US $ 6,000 to 8,000 per person in advance; a method that puts the fate of the credulous hopefuls entirely in the hands of their smugglers, for whom people’s lives are not worth much.

While Afghan refugees pay proportionally large sums to reach Western Europe (mostly Germany, England, Holland, etc.) they are dumped on the way in the forests of Eastern Poland. It is then a tough wake-up call for the asylum seekers who abruptly realize they have paid too much and too early for their dreams. They feel confused and frightened. They wander helpless until they are found by the Polish police, which often times picks them up within a month of their clandestine entry into Poland.

For those who have a chance to stay, there is no guarantee that they will be offered legal residency and that they would be able to enjoy the same rights as Polish citizens. As for others, they are first brought to the main refugee-camp in Debak, in the suburbs of Warsaw. At Debak, they are interrogated by the Polish authorities and are permitted to apply for permission to stay. But, more often than not, to no avail. Warsaw allows asylum seekers to appeal once the decision.

Rejected asylum seekers who agree to go back to Afghanistan may receive some support. Otherwise, it is the sad path towards becoming an illegal alien and eventually end up homeless, surviving in dire conditions in a foreign land with no knowledge of the local language.

Polish authorities say there are a few hundreds Afghan refugees in different camps. They are young men, women and children, all with uncertain futures. When I asked these refugees about the reasons why they left Afghanistan (especially now that the situation has improved), answers varied a great deal, but I found that it is often about finding a better life in Europe where they hoped to study, work and support their families back home. But their hopes ends abruptly when they find themselves cheated by the unscrupulous smugglers who took their money and dumped them on the road, in the middle of nowhere, far from their dreams and aspirations. // © Maria Amiri 2004.