If thou feel not for other’s misery A human being is no name for thee

A short introduction may help readers of my blogging here to get familiar with concept of paperless and refugee. An asylum seeker is a person who flees from his or her country in order to seek international protection and the right to stay in another country. An asylum seeker is a person who is looking for a safe place to live and who can obtain the right of residence abroad. If the person is granted asylum, he or she will be granted refugee status and a residence permit. Asylum seekers usually seek to protect humanitarian protection law. Humanitarian security may be due to an environmental disaster or poor security in the country of origin. The asylum seeker lives in a reception center. It is the place where applicants for international protection are located, where services are provided to them during the asylum process. However, this process can last for many years and this brings many circumstances for the person who is paperless during this process.

During my first practice placement, I was involved in working with paperless people in Finland. Most of them needed health care physically or mentally. Many were under stress because of fear of deportation, traumas arising from their journey to host country, and financial difficulties. In some cases, the paperless person could stay from three to seven hours in a public health center in capital area for renewing a necessary prescription because they are not registered in the system and for health centers is difficult to reserve out of ordinary doctoral appointment. They do not have incentives for learning languages. Most of them speak only their mother language and there are a few who even do not have literacy in their mother-tongue which brought them serious issues for their asylum applications. You can imagine a person in their position who can see no future for him/herself and easily lose his/her encourages.

A translated poem from poet Saadi Shirazi:

All human beings are members of one frame,
Since all, at first, from the same essence came.
When time afflicts a limb with pain
The other limbs at rest cannot remain.
If thou feel not for other’s misery
A human being is no name for thee.

In my opinion, fear of deportation was the most stressful factor for paperless clients who I worked with them during my practice placement. These people must tolerate the stress of being detained by police if they reside in reception centers. This all happens while we know that the right to safe housing is for everyone and if someone does not have the shelter, then how would it be possible to realize their needs for food, cloths and health-care? Imagine a person who has illness and he/she entitled shelter only during nights. Most of undocumented people need psychosocial supports since they confront negative decisions in their asylum applications plus cutting reception center’s services.

I wish this blogging could open a view to the life condition of undocumented immigrants and I can continue in my next blogging more about recent EU regulations and the actions against deportations.

References

Maahanmuuttovirasto, 2019. https://migri.fi/turvapaikanhaku. [October 2019]

 Pakolaisneuvonta, 2019. https://www.pakolaisneuvonta.fi/#turvapaikka-asiat [October 2019]

Suurin osa Showcasen blogeista on toteutettu osana Laurean opintojaksoja. Koko koulutustarjontaamme voi tutustua nettisivuillamme. Tarjoamme kymmenien tutkintoon johtavien koulutuksien lisäksi myös paljon täydennys- ja erikoistumiskoulutuksia sekä yksittäisiä opintojaksoja avoimen AMK:n kautta!