Trading Misery
The people smuggling industry capitalising on Australia's hardline immigration policy
As the Middle East becomes increasingly hostile, many are desperate to flee. But their desperation is profiting unscrupulous smugglers, who sell them their dream, often at an unimaginable price.
"I can't survive", says Hussein Khodr. "I've lost everything. I've lost my wife, I've lost my children. How can I go on with this life?" Hussein's family were among the 44 asylum seekers who drowned when their unseaworthy vessel sank in stormy waters off the coast of Indonesia. They had been promised safe passage to Australia, on a boat equipped with food supplies and lifejackets. "They showed us a picture of a great boat", explains Nadima Rai, a survivor of the tragedy. "Everything was a lie. We wanted to go back, but they said the police were waiting for us on the beach." The experience cost her her husband, two sons, and $45,000. As Australian immigration laws tighten, smuggling syndicates are being forced to explore new avenues to keep the trade going - and new risks mean new rates.
"The deal they offered was to go by plane." Hussein paid $80,000 for his documents, only to end up on the doomed sea voyage that took his family away from him. Speaking to the families of victims, and tracking down the smugglers themselves, this report uncovers the devastating impact of asylum laws on communities miles from the borders they seek to protect.
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