Community Development for Refugees in Australia: A Report

This report delves into the complexities of community development for refugees in Australia, examining the application of social justice and diversity theories to address the challenges faced by immigrant and refugee women. It identifies domestic violence as a critical community problem, particularly within metropolitan and regional areas, and proposes a community development approach centered on promoting human rights and equality. The report analyzes the impact of globalization and political instability on migration patterns, highlighting the vulnerability of refugees and the need for community support. It also explores the limitations of existing immigration policies and the importance of providing equal rights and opportunities to all residents. The report concludes by emphasizing the need for a comprehensive community development plan to reduce violence and promote the well-being of refugee communities. This includes addressing individual, institutional, structural, and post-structural disadvantages.

Running head: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOR REFUGEES IN AUSTRALIA
Community development for refugees in Australia
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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List of tables and figures
Figures Page number
Irregular arrivals of refugees via sea 15
Percentage of young people who are
successfully integrated in Australia
16
Australian refugee and humanitarian
migration programme
17
The percentage of refugees in Australia from
different countries
18

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Acknowledgement
Thank you to all of those who have helped listened and encouraged me throughout this study. I
am indebted to my supervisor ……………………. whose guidance, advice and patience have
been immeasurable. My sincere thanks to all members of the…………… [Mention your
university/college name], both staff and students, whose continuous support have made this
thesis possible.
I would like to thank all of the participants in the study: students, teachers and Local Education
Authorities, for the time and help given throughout. Without their participation, this research
would not have been possible. In this context, I am also thankful to them, whose research work
helped me to execute this paper well.
Finally, I thank my family, without whom this thesis would not have been started or completed!
Your encouragement and support have never faltered; thank you.

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Executive Summary
Community development is hard to define and understand. The growth in migration
leading to a rise in multiculturalism has led to the importance of respect and tolerance. The
purpose of this paper is to understand refugee problem in Australia and propose a community
development plan to address the issue. In this regard, the theories of community development
and their principles have been taken in to consideration. Furthermore, a particular community in
the region of Australia has been looked in to which is the immigrants and the women refugees
faced with family and domestic violence living in the metropolitan and regional Australia. The
manner in which tis community can be developed so as to reduce the extent of the violation of
their rights, have been analyzed within this paper.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Meaning of community development..............................................................................................4
Theory of community development.................................................................................................5
Community problem identified: Violence against immigrant and refugee women in metropolitan
and regional Australia......................................................................................................................6
Community development approach.............................................................................................7
Promoting community led responses...........................................................................................9
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................10
References:....................................................................................................................................11
Appendix........................................................................................................................................14

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Introduction
The aspect of community development is guided by certain theories such as that of Social
Development Theory and Diversity Theory. A theory helps to provide a formal and organized
structure to the different observations which are made in a particular field of study. (Edwards &
Jones, 2019). While we can argue some suburbs such as Mirrabooka in Perth has a high
population of immigrant and refugees affected by domestic violence, there is a need for
community development as it signifies the move towards growth and modernization. Thus, for
any individual to maintain a decent standard of living in the society, it is essential for them to
work for their survival and engage with the other people of the community so that they can
acquire all those services and commodities which would help to further their existence in the
society (Gilchrist & Taylor, 2016). The purpose of this paper is to understand the factor of
community development. In this regard, the theories of community development and their
principles have been taken in to consideration. Furthermore, a particular community in the region
of Australia has been looked in to which is the immigrants and the women refugees living in the
metropolitan and regional Australia. The manner in which tis community can be developed so as
to reduce the extent of the violation of their rights, have been analyzed within this paper.
Meaning of community development
Community refers to a group of people living together and sharing the same cultural
heritage. Development is seen to be a process which leads to the improvement of the lives of
such people living in the community. The aspect of community development is seen to be both a
process as well as an outcome. The term ‘community development indicates the improvement of
the living standard of the people who are living within the identified community (Mtika &

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Kistler, 2017). This improvement is in the field of their social standing, their cultural integration
and the peaceful and harmonious relationship that they share with each other. In other words,
community development seeks to integrate the lives of the people with one another on the
understanding that each and every individual of the society is in need of help and support. The
isolationist aspect of the people has been sought to be mitigated with the introduction of the
social contract theory (McEwan et al., 2017). Ages ago, the ancestors successfully attempted to
form a civilized society where their needs and aspirations would be taken care of by the activities
of everyone present in that society.
In the contemporary societal order, this aspect of community development becomes all
the more significant since there is the rise of multiculturalism in the community. This structure of
community development is important for the women migrant and refugees entering Australia
who face family and domestic violence as they are in a vulnerable stage. Their lives need to be
improved upon and they need to acquire a state of self-confidence.
Theory of community development
Theories help to explain why a particular incident occurred and how it occurred in the
first place (Saepudin & Mulyono, 2019). Such theories also help to outline the principles which
are used to justify for a particular action or account for an activity.
In this context, it needs to be noted that even the aspect of community development has
theories attached to it. Among the host of theories present in the field of community
development, one of the most significant theory is that of the Social Justice Theory (Shaw &
Mayo, 2016). The Social Justice Theory outlines that all the individuals of a particular
community would have an equal and fair opportunity to be heard, especially in the context of

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those minorities who are in the fear that they might be ignored. The purpose of the social justice
theory is to analyze and examine how the different social categories like that of class, gender,
age, ethnicity and disability may intersect with one another and create a disadvantageous field
for the minorities living in that community (Aquino, Lück & Schänzel, 2018). The Social Justice
Theory has been applied in the understanding of the issues faced by the women migrant and
refugees entering Australia who face family and domestic violence. Furthermore, the Diversity
Theory has also been looked in to so as to understand the fact that all individuals are essentially
different from each other and hence, they have their own personal needs and aspirations.
The Social Justice theory mentioned four levels of disadvantage. The first is that of the
individual disadvantage. This occurs when the problem is more person centric in the sense that it
looks in to the hardships faced by the individuals, their illness or depressions and anxiety
(Westoby, 2016).
The second disadvantage is that of institutional disadvantage. This includes the crises
caused by the institutions which were primarily established to reform the social issues (Bhuyan,
Bejan & Jeyapal, 2017). For example, it includes the schools, prisons and the welfare
organizations.
The third level identified is that of structural disadvantage. It considers the social issues
to be stemming out of the inadequacies of the social organizations, such as capitalism,
patriarchy, institutional racism and colonialism (Mayo, 2018).
The last kind of disadvantage identified is that of post structuralist. This includes the way
an individual is perceived in the society, the kind of language they use and the manner in which

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the social issue is seen. For instance, the rise of youth violence in the region of Australia (Baber,
et al., 2019).
Community problem identified: Violence against immigrant and refugee
women in metropolitan and regional Australia
With the initiation of globalization, many individuals have started to migrate willingly
from their home areas to more developed parts of the world in search for a better standard of
living. However, there are a few individuals who are compelled to migrate due to the political
situations in their own nation states (Lauer et al., 2018). The twenty first century has seen an
astounding rise in the aspect of terrorism. The wars among the nation states have been replaced
by terrorist threats where certain individuals or outfits threaten the sovereignty of a country.
Such terrorists does not have any allegiance to their own governments and have the primary
objective of bringing about a transformation based on their own concerted notion of freedom
(Némorin, Momartin & Junaid, 2019).
Besides such political problems, there are also certain social problems which
characterizes the refugees. Many women individuals are seen to face a lot of domestic violence
back in their own nation states (Allotey & Reidpath, 2018). In order to find respite from such
perpetual torture, such women also indulges in migration in the hopes that they can find a better
standard of living and live in dignity in a foreign country.
Within the region of Australia, one of the significant group of migrants who have come to
occupy a place of their own in the society is that of the refugees and the women immigrants.
They face a societal and cultural challenge in the community of Australia primarily because of
their alien identity (Schweitzer et al., 2018). The native population of Australia does not regard

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them to be welcomed in the community and hence, under takes different kinds of discriminatory
actions against them. Thus, the main community problem identified in this paper is that of the
rising violence against the immigrants and the women refugees within the metropolitan and
regional places of Australia.
Community development approach
For the proper induction of the women in the community of Australia, there is first the
need to understand the importance of human rights. Rights are granted to the individuals of the
society in the hopes that it would lead to improvement in their standard of living (Koh et al.,
2019). Earlier, the nation states and their citizens used to follow a particular code of conduct,
applicable for that country only. However, with the end of the Second World War in 1945, the
United Nations Organizations was established. The purpose of the United Nations was to
guarantee a decent living environment to all the people living in the society, irrespective of any
discrimination.
In this context, the United Nations Declaration came in to being in 1948. This
Declaration laid down all the basic universal rights which need to be guaranteed to all the
individuals of the society so that they might lead a happy and satisfied life (Allotey & Reidpath,
2018). One of the main rights formulated is that of equality of all the individuals irrespective of
gender, color, creed or place of origin. This signified that no matter from where an individual
hails, they should have access to all the basic commodities of that community which would
facilitate their well-being.
However, in the context of Australia this poses a problem. The women the women
migrant and refugees entering Australia who face family and domestic violence are treated as
immigrants who are given a relatively less number of rights as are enjoyed by the native citizens

10COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOR REFUGEES IN AUSTRALIA
of Australia. They are not treated equally, do not have access to freedom of speech and thought
or that of residence. This affects their internal self-development.
In this regard, in the context of the violence faced by the immigrants and the women
refugees in the metropolitan and regional Australia, the community development approach which
needs to be taken is that of promotion of the human rights. The Social Justice Theory can be seen
to be in play in this situation. The disadvantage in the community arises in the institutional sector
where the various institutions of the community are seen to have failed to promote a harmonious
environment.
The refugee influx within any community is strictly controlled and mediated by the
government of the host nation state. Such refugees are given a place to stay in until their
verification process is over. Upon completion of all the different formalities, such refuses and
women immigrants are then assigned a community to live in by their integration officers. During
this situation, it needs to be considered that the women are have fled their houses as a
consequence of domestic abuse, are not integrated in to a community which is strife with
institutions of patriarchy and indulges in institutional racism. Such women need a safe and
comfortable environment where they can rediscover their integrity and dignity (Edwards &
Jones, 2019).
Furthermore, in the context of the immigrants, it needs to be noted that they have fled a place
which is characterized by political instability and chaos. They have perhaps witnessed a level of
conflict which is unthinkable to the individuals living in a welfare state where their governmental
institutions work for their improvement,. Thus, in the context of such immigrants, they need to
be rehabilitated in a community where they can experience relative peace and be associated with
those people with whom they can form a bond.

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Promoting community led responses
For the promotion of the integration of the community, certain responses need to be made
at the individualistic level also. The individuals of the Australian society need to make the
immigrants and the women refugees feel welcome in their community. They need to teach such
immigrants about the importance of their own cultures, which taking in to consideration that the
refugees have a culture of their own (Edwards & Jones, 2019). Thus, a strategy to encourage the
development of multiculturalism is required.
The adherence to the human rights is one of the significant check points of any
community development. The Social Justice Theory reiterates that it is the primary requisite of
the community to ensure that all the individuals are living in a harmonious environment where
they are treated in an equal manner. Thus, there is a need to adhere to the code of conduct as laid
down in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be observed that one of the main advantages of living in a
community is that an individual is not isolated in the sense that whenever they are in need of help
and support, they can easily reach out to another member living in that community. A
community imparts a sense of belongingness and a sense of cultural affinity among the
individuals who are found to be living in such a state of nature. The social justice theory which
has been analyzed in the course of the paper states that all the individuals of the society would be
given a fair chance of being represented and having their opinions heard. This means that the
people who are migrating in to a community different from their original one, should also be
integrated in the host community in a successful manner. In the light of a globalized world order,
the aspect of migration has arisen to a significant extent. Furthermore, the internal wars and

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conflict which have found a strong foothold in an unstable polity, also leads to the migration of
people to a better and more stable polity. This requires the host communities to be welcoming to
such migrants and ease their already troubled life.

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Appendix
Source: "Asylum seekers and refugees: what are the facts? – Parliament of Australia",
2015

17COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOR REFUGEES IN AUSTRALIA
Source: "Refugees are integrating just fine in regional Australia", 2015

18COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOR REFUGEES IN AUSTRALIA
Source: Paola & Paola, 2019

19COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOR REFUGEES IN AUSTRALIA
Source: "Immigration and citizenship", 2020