As World Refugee Week comes to a close, Tasmania's migrant and refugee support services are continuing to ask for donations amid a surge in global geopolitical turmoil over the last year.
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Patrick O'Connor - principal lawyer and chief executive of the Tasmanian Refugee Legal Service - said the firm had seen a 400 per cent increase in case load since last year.
He said much of that rise was attributable to the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have been in control of the government for almost a year, as well as the war in Ukraine and the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia.
"Our clients are seeking a safe place where they can rebuild their lives. For many people, a permanent visa will mean an end to the cycle of uncertainty and suffering and provide people with a life where they can live with certainty, dignity and safety and with a sense of a new 'home'," he said.
"As the only dedicated refugee, asylum seeker and humanitarian entrant legal service in Tasmania, the Tasmanian Refugee Legal Service assists clients to apply for protection, reunite with family and to rebuild their lives with visa security."
One of those clients, who chose to remain anonymous, said the assistance from TRLS was "life-saving".
"When my permanent visa was granted it was the biggest news of my life. I have been given the gift of a fear-free and stress-free new life," they said.
The TRLS have given free legal support to over 300 cases in the Tasmanian community so far this year and that number is still growing. The service is partly funded by public donations, and Mr O'Connor said the support was always welcomed.
"Donations to the service go directly towards supporting refugees and asylum seekers within the Tasmanian community and their families as they navigate complex legal processes.," he said.
That sentiment was also echoed by the Tasmanian Migrant Resource Centre's Jane Carlson. Ms Carlson manages Launceston's Phoenix Centre, which provides mental health services to people with refugee and migrant backgrounds. Ms Carson also noted an increased and ongoing need for the centre's services over the last year.
"When the situation happened in Afghanistan we saw a significant increase and put in some immediate services through the Phoenix Centre to provide crisis counselling to those who had been impacted," she said.
Ms Carlson said the high levels of distress in the Afghan and Hazara communities had remained elevated as Afghanistan remains in a continuing crisis recently worsened by a deadly earthquake earlier this week.
"A lot of our ability to be flexible and provide support is due to the generosity of others who donate. This helps not just the Afghan and Hazara communities but a whole range of communities."
To donate please visit mrctas.org.au/donate/ and trls.org.au/donate/
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