The devastating boat journey It is apparent that most asylum seekers are victims of their country’s civil war; they may have been persecuted and thus have experienced or witnessed a range of traumatic events, such as violence and death. Due to the harsh reality, these desperate people increasingly choose to flee their home country in the hope that somewhere else they will find safety and maybe live a better life. Therefore, it is a desire for survival and a feeling of hope that drives them to make the escape. Due to the fact that it is difficult for most of them to obtain a valid travel document and reach a safe country by plane, they have to pay a large sum of money to smugglers to make a boat journey, which is fraught with danger. It is not uncommon that people on those flimsy rubber boats drown or die. Having been displaced by the “mercy” journey, some of them eventually reach the destination that they have been longing for; however, there is no air of excitement, but a wretched boat with mentally damaged drifters, whose destiny is still in the hands of someone else.