From Helplessness to Self-help
Asylum Seeker-led Organization as Platform to Adress COVID-19 Support Policy Gaps in Hong Kong
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.57947/qrp.v62i2.74Keywords:
asylum seekers, asylum seeker-led organizations, pandemic, refugees, resilienceAbstract
This article describes, how a platform provided by asylum seeker-led organizations was used, to cope with challenges, faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence from Hong Kong, one of Asia’s major cities, demonstrates the importance of asylum seeker-led response to inadequate and exclusionary government aid provisions. Although the pandemic exacerbated the existing plight of asylum seekers in Hong Kong, their resilience was instrumental in developing the asylum seeker community. Because they were excluded from most pandemic assistance measures, helplessness forced asylum seekers in Hong Kong to “self-help.” They proactively utilized the platform provided by the Refugee Union, an asylum seeker-led organization in Hong Kong, to request and gather resources for themselves and advocate for better policies. These asylum seeker-led initiatives not only helped them cope with crises like the pandemic, but also opened up opportunities for them to reach out to other local communities and advocate for themselves, leading to greater social inclusion in the long run.
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