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Opinion
Hong Kong should empower its young refugees with better education and support
- Often poor, socially excluded and lacking in educational opportunities, young refugees are still waiting for the city to wake up to its duty of care
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David Lai is deputy research director at MWYO.
Eleven-year-old Pakistani actor Sahal Zaman recently won best new performer at the 41st Hong Kong Film Awards for The Sunny Side of the Street. His role as a young refugee brought to life the hardships of refugee life in Hong Kong.
Many young refugees in Hong Kong, whether having fled here with their parents or born here to a refugee family, grow up in a very tough environment and face many limitations to their personal and career development.
According to Immigration Department data, as at February 28, there were 1,437 non-refoulement claimants aged 24 or younger, who have made claims for protection against expulsion, return or surrender from Hong Kong to another country. They have no right of abode in Hong Kong and do not want to be repatriated to their country of origin. In some cases, refugees have to wait more than 20 years before resettlement.
Our research report “A Study of Refugee Youth in Hong Kong: Education Empowerment Programme”, released last month, includes in-depth interviews with three professionals and six young refugees. It explores the learning and living problems faced by refugee youth, their growth and development in Hong Kong and the adequacy of the support they receive.
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