Bringing relief to refugees
Published in The Australian Jewish News
September 7, 2020
Rahmat* was 14 years old when he arrived in Australia. But his first encounters of this new land were not experienced as he trudged through an airport terminal – rather, he arrived upon the shores in a leaky boat.
His first 10 months were spent on Christmas Island, and the next three at Leonora detention facility in Western Australia.
Rahmat and his parents are Hazara people, a persecuted ethnic minority from Afghanistan. Together, they sought asylum.
In the process, they were separated from Rahmat’s four siblings. The Red Cross is still searching for them.