“Discuss the treatment of asylum seekers living in Direct Provision Centres in Ireland.”
Last year in Ireland, 2011, the number of applications for asylum seekers was just a mere 1,250. This has been the lowest number recorded in ten years. Between the years of 1992 and 2007, the total number of applications was an astonishing 76,513. These figures demonstrate the large number of asylum seekers on a quest for refuge in Ireland. This essay will demonstrate and describe the treatment of asylum seeks living in Direct Provision Centres in Ireland. An asylum seeker is a person who has fled their own country of residence and enters another country in the hope of receiving protection as a refugee. As stated by United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee can be defined as a person who has fled their own country and unwilling to return because of owing to a fear of being persecuted because of their religion, nationality, race, political opinion or membership of a particular social group for example. (www.humanrights.gov.au.) War, tribal and religious violence are the primary causes of refugees fleeing their countries of residence. To apply for asylum, the asylum seeker must demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution in their country. In the year 2007, Ireland only received 1% of the total number of asylum applications within the EU. This is in comparison to15% in the United States and 11% in Sweden. (www.unhcr.org/statistics.) The reason for the decline in asylum applications in recent years is presumably and most likely due to Ireland’s economic climate. The UNDP published a report in 2009 which indicated that there were 214 million migrants. This figure represents approximately 3% of the world’s population. This number demonstrates the vast amount of people living away from their country of residence. It is vital that each individual be treated equally.
Citizenship is a social status where by a member
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