Don't squander chance to give asylum seekers in Hong Kong a better life
Aleta Miller says government drafters must put human rights at heart of new screening policy
Asylum is a human right. This is one of the fundamental messages at the heart of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly 65 years ago today.
This right to asylum exists alongside other basic entitlements that many of us take for granted: the right to life, the right to liberty and the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
For asylum is a human right and, like the others enshrined in the declaration, it applies to all of us equally, regardless of race, faith or creed. It even applies to you and me but, for most of us, it is thankfully one we will never have to exercise.
However, to those 15.4 million refugees fleeing from persecution around the world, this right to asylum is their potential lifeline; the one belonging they can hold on to when they have to leave everything else behind; their due that should protect them on whomever's doorstep they land.
There are currently only around 6,000 people seeking protection in Hong Kong, fleeing from persecution in countries such as Afghanistan, Somalia and Syria.
One of the most common questions we at Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre are asked by the public is: "Why do refugees choose to come here?"