A request for help for a family in Syria (now safe in Australia thanks to Sanctuary)

Sanctuary Australia FoundationBlog, Refugee Stories

My family have no food and no money to buy food even if they want, they have no home, no work to go to and my sister has no school. My mother has been hurt when a bomb has gone off close to them, so too has my brother. My father was shot last week for trying to defend the little area of home he and my family were taking shelter in. My father was also detained by the Syrian army for a few days when my family did try to escape the camp to seek refuge in Lebanon. Obviously due to that they were unable to leave. Jordan is not accepting Palestinian refugees in the Syrian refugee camps they have in place as they don’t want to be ”stuck” with a large majority of Palestinians.

I am their only son outside of Syria, their only means of help to get out!! Can you imagine how that feels to tell your mother and father ”I’m sorry I can’t help because Australia currently doesn’t have a policy dealing with Palestinian refugees in Syria, regardless of whether by international law they are in fact refugees”?

I am a permanent resident of Australia. I have a stable job, pay my tax, law abiding and proud to be in Australia. I am not a rich man but on a normal salary, I would work two or three jobs if it meant I could support my family to come here and away from the dangers of war. But this is not taken to consideration, I’m just another number, another Palestinian.

I stand back and think how my family would appreciate just to be here in Australia, to not worry about if they go to get bread if they will come back alive…if they didn’t have to tape my nieces ears (she is 2 years old) so she can sleep without hearing the bombs and shelling.

I am wishing to apply again and again in the hopes that just maybe, maybe something will be in place or someone will open their eyes and see that my family do fall within the Australian terms of ”refugee”, I’ve asked the embassy in Amman, Jordan if I can have the applications and documents I forwarded back so that I can indeed apply and their response was that I need to request it, actually get my father (the applicant) to request it and wait for it to be sent (I would just like to point out that he has NO home for them to send these documents, nor any chance of sending off the application in the first place). I have completed the required forms placing me as the one to receive correspondence and deal with immigration in the original application as its physically impossible for my father to do it. The embassy is aware of this as stated in their many emails, yet nothing they can do…they did advise that I can apply but it’s not likely I will rec eive them.

I understand I probably sound like the thousands of people trying to get their family out of war torn countries but I am so desperate to receive some response by someone, somewhere that encourages me or wants to help me find a way for them to be safe…if they can’t go to Lebanon, or Jordan an have no money to go to other neighbouring Arab countries and then still can’t come to Australia where they have their son and his family, are we just to accept that they have to die? Either from a bomb, being shot, detained or from starvation?

My wife’s family have offered their support, even wrote a letter to the embassy in Amman ensuring their support for my family but it seems this was not important enough to back up the applications.

Is there someone that will help? Someone that will support me and my family? Someone to allow them to be with me safe? See my children grow up?

I am no longer hopeful of any response of help, but I will send and send just for the sake of my family.

Kind regards,

*Name withheld for privacy and security reasons

This family are now safe in Australia after receiving advice and support from Sanctuary, along with an interest-free airfare loan.