Dilini (not her real name), a
delightful and bright 12-year-old
girl, arrived ten years ago from Sri
Lanka. Whilst she doesn’t really
know why her parents left their
home country, she knows it has
something to do with political
persecution. Fortunately, she’s been
able to attend school since 2007,
currently at a girls’ secondary school
in Central. Her school has a mix
of Chinese and ethnic minorities,
including a few other refugees.
Unlike many refugees who do suffer
from prejudice, Dilini says she has
no issues at school and doesn’t
think the other girls know or care
about her status.
Like many kids, her least
favourite subject is maths! Like
many kids, she wants to be a
lawyer after leaving school, to help
refugees, because she knows “how
they feel going through all this stuff”.
As a refugee, Dilini recognises
that she’s different from local
people. She often asks her dad why
they can’t just live in Hong Kong.
Her parents find it really difficult
staying at home and not working,
especially her dad. Dilini is keen
for her family to be re-settled and
no longer refugees, particularly so
her parents could work. Her dad,
a former soldier, would love to go
back to work and dreams of getting
residency, whilst her mum would like
to work with computers.
Dilini attends Sea Cadets
weekly and enjoys singing pop
songs or seeing friends. Her eight-
year-old brother attends primary
school in Yau Ma Tei and likes
sports and art. As a family, they go
out for lunch on Sundays or for a
walk. Whilst that all seems normal,
Dilini recognises that they are
affected by being refugees and are
not like other families. She knows
they get help with food, clothing and
housing.
She’s grateful for the
educational support from CA-
CKMSC and tries to show her
appreciation by achieving better
grades. Another NGO, Be the
Change (
.
org), helps too, and assisted her
in getting into secondary school.
Whilst Dilini and her parents know
they’re lucky amongst refugees
locally, their future and status
remain unsure.
A child’s perspective
So, what’s it like for refugee kids here?
CKMSC,
org.hk), reckons there are currently
around 4,500 people in Hong Kong
seeking protection for a number of
reasons, including war, race and
religion. The exact number seems
difficult to ascertain, with the
UNHCR’s figures (in December
2013) showing 126 refugees and 1,872
asylum seekers, but the
South China
Morning Post
(in January 2014) quoted
the Security Bureau as processing
2,590 torture claims. Moreover, says
Julee, the situation is complex, with
people coming here from South Asia,
Africa and the Middle East, for many
different reasons and with many
different claims.
Life as a refugee
Whilst asylum seekers’ claims
are processed, the Government
provides basic accommodation,
food, transport allowance, clothing
and other living needs. We all
know accommodation costs are
exorbitant in our city, but just imagine
struggling with a monthly grant of
$1,500. Food assistance equates to
a bag of groceries worth $1,200 per
adult – less for kids – about every
month. Refugees have no right to
employment, and have extremely
limited rights to education and
healthcare. Even worse, they’re
frequently subjected to prejudice and
negative misconceptions, on top of
often having suffered from torture
and stress in their home country.
May 2014
93
