HSDV 6242 - Promoting Social Justice: Migrant and Refugee Advocacy

This report addresses the social justice issues faced by migrants and refugees, particularly in the context of New Zealand. It highlights the lack of adequate support for these vulnerable populations, leading to challenges in healthcare, employment, and overall quality of life. The report emphasizes the importance of advocacy in promoting their rights and ensuring equitable treatment. It explores how social change can be achieved through ideological, social, and political movements, focusing on raising awareness among both immigrants and local citizens. The author discusses the use of human rights-based approaches, specifically the right to equity, and the role of advocates in highlighting the discrepancies in the treatment of refugees and migrants. Furthermore, the report details the skills demonstrated in creating a flyer to influence public opinion and ensure accessibility of information to a wide range of individuals. Ultimately, the report argues that advocacy and awareness are crucial steps in addressing social injustice and improving the lives of migrants and refugees.

Running head: SOCIAL CHANGE
Social Change
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1SOCIAL CHANGE
Issue faced by migrants and
refugees
A huge number of asylum seekers from
Syria and other parts of the worlds are
arriving at New Zealand
Majority of them are from low income
countries
Lack of appropriate refugee support
across the country results living
prolonged time in refugee camps or in
detention
Good number of the refugees suffer from
diseases like Tuberculosis, HIV and
Hepatitis B
They have little or less access to
healthcare
They are treated as modern day slaves in
workplace paid even half of the salary
The rights of the refugees and
migrants
According to Immigration act 2009, Every
refugee, like every other citizens of the
nation, emigrants have the right to avail
appropriate healthcare service
They needs to have appropriate financial
support from the government
They need to maintain a normal life style in
this foreign nation
Discrimination in providing basic rights to
the refugees is a violation of social justice
They have the rights to live healthy and
wealthy
More amendments are needed to provide
them rights for equal employments and
health facilities

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Rationale
 why this is a social justice issue
Social justice issue is a common term which is used all over the world and people are found
to be fighting for it vigorously. The mentioned term can be defined as issues that take place due
to the limitation of social rights or violation of the same for a specific group of individuals
without any genuine reason. Considering the fact that a huge number of asylum seekers from
Syria and other parts of the worlds are arriving at New Zealand, lack of appropriate refugee
support across the country is a burning social justice issue (Mahony et al. 2017). First of all it is
highly crucial to understand that refugees are forced migrants and therefore majority of them
lacks any financial support while they arrive at the nation. Every refugee, like every other
citizens of the nation needs to have appropriate healthcare service as well as financial support
from the government in order to develop and maintain a normal life style in the foreign nation.
Discrimination in providing basic rights to the refugees can be considered as a social justice
issue. Several challenges can be pointed out when it comes to asylum seekers of New Zealand.
A good number of the refugees are compelled to spend a prolonged time in refugee camps or in
detention. Majority of the times they have little or less access to healthcare. Considering the fact
that majority of them are from low income countries, a good number of the refugees suffer from
diseases like Tuberculosis, HIV and Hepatitis B. This imposes adverse impact o the lifestyle of
the healthcare service users. Thus there prevails a huge gap in the lifestyle of a citizen of the
nation and that of a refugee. The condition is more or less similar for the migrants. Migrants can
be defined as individuals who have arrived at New Zealand for educational purpose or for
earning a livelihood. According to researchers, a good number of migrants who have arrived to

3SOCIAL CHANGE
the nation for earning livelihood are treated as modern day slaves and are compelled to work
more than the stipulated amount of time while being paid even half of the salary they are entitled
to (Dauvergne, 2017). Majority of the migrant workers are unaware of their rights and there
prevails a fear of getting deported in case they revolt. Not only that, foreign students who
arrives in New Zealand also face several discriminatory acts. This in turn imposes negative
impact on their education. All these sufferings of the asylum seekers and the migrants make the
lack of refugees and migrants support in New Zealand a burning social justice issue.
How social change occurs and how you expect this flyer/submission to influence others
Social change has the potential to evolve from different sources including contact with other
societies, changes in ecosystem, technological changes, social and political movements as well
as other demographic changes. When it comes to human right issues like lack of refugee and
migrant support, as per my opinion, ideological, social and political movements are the keys to
eradicate the injustice that takes place against the asylum seekers and emigrants. For any kinds
of social change, it is highly crucial to enhance the awareness of the public about the injustice
that is taking place. Side by side, the awareness of individuals who are the victims of the
injustice should be enhanced in order bring about the social change. As per my opinion, the flyer
that I have designed bears the potential to enhance the awareness of the immigrants who are
suffering from social discrimination (Roth, 2017). The flyer contains brief information about
their rights in the nation. Considering the fact that majority of the immigrants and asylum seekers
are unaware of the rules and regulations they can opt to when they face social discrimination, I
think, the information provided in the flyer will be highly beneficial for them. Secondly, while
developing the flyer, I have mentioned the injustices that take place against the asylum seekers
ad migrants. These facts will make the local citizens of the nation aware of the social human

4SOCIAL CHANGE
right violation. As a result of this, a chance of social movement will arise which has the potential
to bring about the expected social change (Smith, 2016). Finally, my flyer carries an invitation
to all the citizens of New Zealand to protest against such social injustice since it is imposing
adverse effect on the growth of the society. Thus, in a nutshell I believe that the flier will
provide necessary information to the victims in one end and encourage the public to develop a
movement against the mentioned social justice issue on the other end.
what human rights approaches you have used
A human rights based approach is about empowering people to know and claim their rights along
with enhancing the ability and accountability of individuals and institutions who are responsible
for respecting, protecting and fulfilling rights. Through the flyer, I have chiefly focused on the
right of equity. In my flyer, I have highlighted the fact that the government of New Zealand is
entitled to protect the refugees just like any other citizens residing in the nation. However, it is
evident that refugees and migrants are not able to lead a quality life due to several issues. They
are not provided with the basic requirements like healthcare and education. The gap between the
life standard of a New Zealand citizen and a refugee or migrant is highly evident and thus the
discrepancy in the human right of equity can be clearly seen.
The role of an advocate and how this advocacy will address social justice
The term advocacy can be defined as a method of ensuring that all individual, especially those
who are the most vulnerable in the society posses the right to gave their voices heard on issues
that are crucial for them. Not only that, advocacy also defend and safeguard their rights as well
as have their wishes and views genuinely considered. When it comes to human rights of the
refugees and the migrants, the role of the advocate is to point out that the refugees and migrant

5SOCIAL CHANGE
have the right to practice the basic rights just like any other citizens of New Zealand. The role of
advocate also includes pointing out the fact that a number of challenges are faced by refugees
settling in New Zealand, including the ability to reunite with families left behind in refugee
camps or situations of war and oppression. Long delays between refugees arriving in New
Zealand and being reunited with their family contribute to social and health issues refugees face,
requiring government and community support (Gerber et al., 2016). The advocate will also point
out that the government needs t o look into the affair and implement effective strategy that will
help the refugees as well as migrants to enjoy a life like any other citizens of New Zealand.
Considering the fact that refugees and migrants are vulnerable human beings since they have lost
their social standards, economic stability and near and dear ones, advocacy for the refugees as
well as for the migrants can ne considered as a major step of eradicating the social justice issue.
The advocacy will highlight the miseries faced by the asylum seeker as well as the migrants. It
will highlight how they are deprived of their basic rights like the right of food, shelter and
medical care. Thus, advocacy for the mentioned group will not only enhance the awareness of
the public but will also make the government review the policies and regulations to find out the
loopholes.
what skills you have demonstrated in producing this flyer
The skills that I have tried to demonstrate while producing the fliers are as follows:
Attractive presentation: While developing the flyer, one of my chief objectives was to make it
attractive so that it can easily catch the attention of the people. This is crucial since people will
not prefer to even go through a dull looking flyer and as a result the main purpose of developing
the flyer will not get served.

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Precise description: A flyer which is full of information often fails to attract people. Hence my
target was to incorporate both picture as well as information in the flier. In order to perform this,
I have incorporated all the crucial information in a highly brief an precise manner.
Demonstration of knowledge: Before creating the flyer, i have gone through a good range of
articles along with my own course materials so that I can provide the public with crucial
information about the social justice issue.
How to influence others and how you have ensured your message is accessible to a range of
people
In order to influence others as well as to ensure that my message is accessible to a range of
individual I will distribute the flyers at highly populated public places. Along with that, in order
to enhance the awareness of the migrants I will distribute the same at educational institutions and
organizations. In order to ensure that the refugees have obtained by flyers, I will distribute the
same in refugee camps.

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Reference List
Dauvergne, C. (2017). Making people illegal. In Migrants and Rights (pp. 77-94). Routledge.
Gerber, P., Wilkinson, C., Langlois, A. J., & Offord, B. (2016). Human rights in Papua New
Guinea: is this where we should be settling refugees?. Australian Journal of Human
Rights, 22(1), 27-65.
Mahony, C., Marlowe, J., Humpage, L., & Baird, N. (2017). Aspirational yet precarious:
compliance of New Zealand refugee settlement policy with international human rights
obligations. International Journal of Migration and Border Studies, 3(1), 5-23.
Roth, P. (2017). Globalization and sovereignty: the case of human rights in New Zealand.
In Sovereignty under Siege?(pp. 65-81). Routledge.
Smith, R. K. (2016). Textbook on international human rights. Oxford University Press.