An advocate who has helped shaped the lives of many through her relentless service in refugee support organisations is being recognised on the King’s Birthday Honour list.
The Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division was awarded to Shabnam Safa, who has spent more than a decade working to make lives easier for refugees and migrant.
Driven by her own lived experience of forced displacement and hardships, she began to chip away at the systemic limitations faced by refugees and migrants and pave a smoother path for others to come after her.
“I feel shocked, surprised because I would’ve never anticipated this – it’s definitely an honour to receive this recognition,” Safa said on news of her OAM accolade.
“A lot of my work is not really driven to receive recognition – it comes out of responsibility and moral duty and it’s obviously still an honour to be seen and recognised this way.
“The systems are not made for them (forcibly displaced refugees).
“They are not just left out but sometimes punished by the system really.
“I don’t see work as a professional endeavour, it’s more where I feel the calling.
“Personally, I am conflicted about this award because it’s not individual work. I’m part of a major collective effort towards justice, recognition of the systemic barriers for marginalised people.”
The recognition is for a number of roles in refugee organisations, some of which have become a blur for her.
The list is extensive but it started when she was a second year university student. She along with other students like her realised the gaps in the systems didn’t cater to their reality.
“From that time, although I didn’t have official framing for it, that was all from lived experience to create better systems and policies and that just rolled over into other things.
“Fast forward to Centre for Multicultural Youth for young people from refugees and migration backgrounds, highlighting their strength.”
Whilst in university she co-founded Noor Foundation, and became co-founder of ReConnect, a national training lead at Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA), on the board of directors at CMY and is also on the Australian Refugee Advisory Panel.
She has taken a break from her role at CRSA- although so far the highlight of her career – to study Masters in social and public policy. But she remains active with her community advocacy work for refugees and the Hazara community.
The spare time on her hands gave her the opportunity to pause and reflect on her personal and career growth.
She says everything she does is shaped by her forced displacement.
“Regardless of what I do in the next year or five years down the track it will be very much led by my principles.”
She embraces the crucial works and impact she has had on lives and communities. But she says there’s so much more that needs to be done to include refugee voices and their lived experiences to create better policies that are not just good but “integral and crucial.”
“When you’re supporting refugees it’s not a feel good phrase or charity work, it’s recognising people’s humanity and building policies and system that reflect shared humanity regardless of who you are and where you come from.
“I hope this also helps spotlight the different faces and ways of people making change, what leadership is – the contributions of people from refugee backgrounds who continue to do incredible things and continue to achieve major success in life here in Australia despite facing structural barriers here.”
Finally, a message for the unknown person who nominated her.
“I don’t know who has nominated me but I thank them sincerely because I know it takes time and care to put together a nomination application.”
