SCHOOL ACTION PACK TERM FOUR 2013
Write for Rights is back! Death to the death penalty Meet some youth activists Amnesty International Australia | www.amnesty.org.au
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK TERM FOUR 2013
Contents SECTION 01
UPDATES AND NEWS 01.1 A note from Dan 01.2 Updates 01.2 Running your school action group: the four I’s 01.3 Meet some youth activists
SECTION 02
CAMPAIGNS 02.1 Death to the death penalty 02.2 Refugee rights are human rights 02.3 Write for Rights is back!
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IMPORTANT
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CAMPAIGN ACTIONS: AT A GLANCE Campaign
Action
Target
Anti-death penalty
Make a sign to abolish the death penalty
Governments around the world
Refugee rights
Share the pledge
Everyone you know
Individuals at risk
Write a letter and make a card
Various
Cover: Write for Rights event. Bangkok, Thailand, December 2010. Š AI Thailand
Amnesty International is part of the global movement defending human rights and dignity. We work with people in Australia and our region to demand respect for human rights and protect people facing abuse. We campaign, conduct research and raise money for our work. Our active members, such as school action groups, play a vital role in achieving our aims through writing letters, sending online actions, organising creative awareness-raising activities and fundraising in their communities.
Amnesty International acknowledges the traditional owner of the land on which our offices are situated. We thank the elders past and present for their continued custodianship. This always has been and always will be Aboriginal land.
UPDATES AND NEWS
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK TERM FOUR 2013 | SECTION 01.1
a note from Dan Hi there,
Wow, what a year!
nd Team is now in most states arou Our Schools Network Outreach the nd ols conferences right arou Australia. We’ve now hosted scho peo ple have taken part in the country, and thousands of young Amnesty movement at scho ol!
for phenomenal work – campaigning School groups have done some to ing help for Indigenous homelan ds, Afghan women’s rights, working ty, and leading our ‘change the secure a global arms trade trea conversation’ refugee campaign!
tes nt or young person who participa Each scho ol student, teacher, pare and al movement and I congratulate in this work is part of our glob thank you all.
l’s for Rights, Amnesty Internationa A focus for term four is Write joins ld wor te for Rights is when the global letter-writing moment. Wri can ncing human rights abuses. You together to help peo ple experie paper on pen is it ther whe SMS or ink; write for rights thro ugh email, e. renc letter makes a diffe or fingers on keyboards, ever y what you are doing by emailing Once again please let me know me on twitter at @danscaysbrook youth@amnesty.org.au or follow Enjoy the sum mer holi days!
Dan Scaysbrook Youth Coordinator
UPDATES AND NEWS
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK TERM FOUR 2013 | SECTION 01.2
Take a moment to reflect on what we’ve all achieved throughout 2013. Share these stories, inspire the people around you, and acknowledge your contribution to these amazing successes. 80,000 AUSSIES STAND UP FOR AFGHAN WOMEN Nasrin released On 18 September the Iranian authorities released prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and at least 11 other political activists. Nasrin’s case featured in last year’s Write for Rights and almost 30,000 Australians took action for her. Nasrin Sotoudeh, an ailing Iranian mother of young twins, was sentenced in September 2010 to six years in prison for her peaceful human rights work.
Seven months, 200 events and countless hours of dedication from all our activists have resulted in a whopping 81,563 signatures for Afghan women’s rights. Congratulations and thank-you to all the students and teachers who played a vital role in this milestone. Together we’ve shown our government that Australians care about protecting women in Afghanistan and that we stand together in supporting human rights globally. Australia has played a critical role in supporting and growing women’s rights in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. We’ve seen: •
Increased enrolment in formal education.
•
Increased life expectancy.
•
More opportunities for women in government.
•
Women’s groups being able to operate more freely (though still with limitations)
•
Equal rights enshrined in the Afghan Constitution and official Afghan policy
Now, we need to make sure that as international troops begin to withdraw, and peace talks with the Taliban unfold, that improvements for women’s rights continue to grow.
Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. © Payvand.com
12-year-old Farishta. Kabul, Afghanistan, 2011. © UNHCR / J. Tanner
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK TERM FOUR 2013 | SECTION 01.2
REMEMBER THE ARMS TRADE TREATY?
Sunshine Coast Grammar School take action for the Arms Trade Treaty. © Sunshine Coast Grammar
In April 2013, following campaigning all across the world, the UN approved the first-ever Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). The ATT prevents weapons being lawfully traded with countries who will use them to commit human rights abuses. Eighty-seven countries have signed the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to date, and many are in the process of ratifying the ATT. On 25 September the US signed the ATT. The US is the world’s largest arms trader to more than 170 countries, accounting for around 30 per cent of transfers in terms of value.
Amnesty International France action for the Arms Trade Treaty campaign. © Pierre-Yves Brunaud/Picturetank for AI
Emmanuel Jal shows his support for an ATT. © Andy Merry/AI
INTERSEX RIGHTS RECOGNISED This year Australia became the first country to amend its anti-discrimination laws to recognise and protect intersex people. Intersex people are born with chromosomes, genitals and/or reproductive organs which are not 100 per cent biologically male or female, or are a mixture of both. While most us think of gender as simply either male or female, the reality is, sex is more like a scale with male at one end and female at the other. In between is a range of natural, biological traits and variations. Learn more about intersex: http://oii.org.au/21336/intersex-for-allies/ Amnesty activists at the New Zealand Pride Parade. Auckland, February 2013. © AI
Action for the Arms Trade Treaty. Sydney March 2013. © AI.
ASYLUM SEEKERS AND REFUGEES For many years Amnesty International and our partners throughout Australia have been working hard for refugee and asylum seeker rights. Our school groups have worked tirelessly to actively change the conversation. Have a look at this amazing YouTube clip from school kids in Victoria: http://ow.ly/oLaTL It’s just one example of the creative activism you’ve done for refugee and asylum seeker rights.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK TERM FOUR 2013 | SECTION 01.3
Running your school action group THE FOUR I’S Amnesty International is a global movement of over 4.6 million people committed to defending those who are denied justice or freedom. Within our schools we have school action groups – students like you – that come together at lunch and other times to help defend human rights. But how do we get people to join our groups? How do we make sure that our activism is amazing and makes a difference? And how do we make sure that when we leave school, our groups remain? Here are some ideas for building a strong group and keeping people involved.
Remember every person’s contribution is amazing and should be appreciated! Ask everyone in your group what they want to do and how they can help. By involving people and giving them things to do, group members will enjoy the experience and keep coming. And the more people in your group, the more impact your group will have!
Make sure you are constantly inviting people to your group. A personal invite to your friends is always the best. You can also speak about your group at assemblies or in class, or make posters and flyers.
Sometimes people are unaware of what is happening in the wider world, or they may not realise they can do something about it. Let people know what you and Amnesty International are doing. It’s good to mention that this is happening all around the country and the world.
Inspire and thank people for everything they do and remind them of the power that we have. Celebrate everything you do and all of the successes you achieve! Check out the campaign updates in section 1.2 for some great inspiration to share with people
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK TERM FOUR 2013 | SECTION 01.4
Meet some youth activists We have youth activists in schools all across the country – but it doesn’t stop once you’ve left school. Meet three fabulous youth activists who are involved with Amnesty uni groups.
SAY HI TO ELIZA! MEET JULES! of the Queensland Jules is the president gy Amnesty uni University of Technolo h youth coordinator group, she interns wit h the SNOTs wit Dan, and hangs out ach Team). tre Ou rk (Schools Netwo “Hey, I’m Jules! ting some of this I got the fun task of wri se I’m interning cau be ck School Action Pa into Amnesty was with Dan. My first foray ool’s student group in year 8, with my sch fortunately when Un . which was really fun n’t have an did ool sch I moved my new s devoid of Amnesty group, so I wa sad faces. activism for a while – n back on the Have no fear; I was soo came to uni I activism bus. When I up to join, but gro a started looking for tead my friend there wasn’t one. So ins and I started one! I really, really like I guess you could say of fun. The people Amnesty. It is just a lot king the world a are great, and we’re ma to love!” t no s at’ better place. Wh
Eliza is a SNOT and a big gun in the University of Western Sydney’s student group. Eliza has been a passionate human rights defender ever since her first foray with Amnesty International in grade 11. Eliza is now studying a Bachelor of Social Science majoring in Peace and Development Studies, which goes hand in hand with her Amnesty work. “My favourite thing about Amnesty International is definitely watching youth become really passionate about human rights. I’ve seen really cool changes in school kids within an hour of talking to them about Amnesty International. I’m really lucky to be in a situation to show youth what they can do to fight global injustices.”
MEET JANE! ts defender in Jane became a human righ uni. Jane is of r yea t firs 2010 during her coordinator. now the Queensland SNOT honchos in She was one of the head sful 2013 ces suc organising our super . nce fere QLD schools con or of She is studying a Bachel Government, and ns atio Rel International g for reliable and when Jane went lookin , she kept uni information on topics for earch. res ty’s coming across Amnes my eyes to “...Amnesty was opening ld that I wasn’t wor the things going on in ere else. really hearing about anywh g my mind to It’s been great in broadenin k I can do with the different types of wor ht be able to my degree ... where I mig e to do.” abl be go, and what I might
CAMPAIGNS : INFORMATION AND ACTION
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK TERM FOUR 2013 | SECTION 02.1
ACT NOW>>
Write for rights At the heart of Amnesty International is this idea: that we are at our most powerful when we stand together for human rights. Letter writing is at our core, and has been ever since our first letter-writing campaign in 1961. Write for Rights is Amnesty International’s global letter-writing moment, when the world joins together to help people suffering human rights abuses. You can write for rights using email, SMS or putting pen to paper; either way, every letter makes a difference. Your letters will join millions, written by hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Amnesty International has 50 years of proven experience helping people at risk. We know letter writing works. Every year, thousands of people are saved from human rights abuses thanks to letters from people like you. On the next page are three Write for Rights cases. These people face discrimination, violence and imprisonment.
You can do two things to help these cases: 1. WRITE A LETTER Please write a letter to the authorities. See the case information for what to include in each of your letters. If you can, write your letters on an international aerogramme ($1.70 from Australia Post). If you’re short on time, sign the template letters at www.amnesty.org.au/write Leave your letters unsealed and mail them in an envelope to Schools Write for Rights, Locked Bag 7, Collingwood VIC 3066 We will pass on your letters to the targets. 2. SEND A CARD Along with your letter to the authorities, you can send a card to the people we are supporting. Your messages of solidarity give them hope and let them know the world has not forgotten them. Activists have enjoyed receiving postcards from different places, or you could create your own. Send cards with messages to us and we will pass them on to Yorm Bopha, Ihar Tsikhanyuk and Eskinder’s wife Serkalem Fasil. You may mention Amnesty International and include a return address. Please do not send religious cards.
Cards received in support of Coastei Street families, London, UK, March 2013. © AI
Write for Rights event, Thailand, December 2012. © AI Thailand
25 November-10 December 2013
Sutherland Shire group ‘Write for Rights’ with a special lunch and letterwriting session. Sydney, November 2012. © Amanda Atlee/AI
ETHIOPIA, AFRICA
BELARUS, EUROPE
CAMBODIA, ASIA
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK TERM FOUR 2013 | SECTION 02.1
Eskinder’s story Ethiopian journalist Eskinder Nega is serving an 18-year prison sentence for ‘terrorism’. He was charged in 2011 after giving speeches and writing articles criticising the government and supporting free speech.
Ihar’s story Ihar Tsikhanyuk is an openly gay man and activist in Belarus, who was verbally abused, threatened and beaten by police following his unsuccessful attempt to register an LGBTI community organisation.
Yorm Bopha’s story Yorm Bopha is a mother and housing rights activist from Phnom Penh, Cambodia. She has been imprisoned since 4 September 2012 on fabricated charges as a result of her peaceful activism.
Eskinder has long been a thorn in the side of the Ethiopian authorities. He has previously been harassed, arrested and prosecuted a number of times for his writing. Between 2006 and 2007, Eskinder and his wife Serkalem Fasil were tried for ‘treason’ and other charges along with 129 other journalists, opposition politicians and activists. Serkalem gave birth to their son, Nafkot, while she was in prison.
On 6 February 2013, Ihar Tsikhanyuk was having hospital treatment for a stomach ulcer in Hrodna, Belarus, when two police officers entered the hospital ward and asked him to go with them. He was taken to the October District police station, where he was repeatedly punched, verbally abused for being gay and threatened with more violence.
Yorm Bopha and her husband are alleged to have ordered a violent attack against two men in August 2012. However both alleged victims gave unclear, inconsistent and contradictory testimony in court. No evidence was provided of Yorm Bopha or her husband’s involvement.
Eskinder is currently held in Kaliti prison, Addis Ababa. In May 2013,Eskinder wrote from prison: “I will live to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It may or may not be a long wait. Whichever way events may go, I shall persevere!” In Ethiopia, repression of freedom of expression has increased alarmingly in recent years, with the authorities severely restricting the activities of the independent media, political opposition parties and human rights organisations. Write to: the Ethiopian Prime Minister Start your letter: Dear Prime Minister In your letter: • State that Eskinder Nega is a prisoner of conscience and must be released immediately and unconditionally. • Call on the authorities to stop using criminal proceedings to silence their critics and end other forms of harassment against journalists, human rights activists and other members of civil society. • Call for laws to be changed which restrict freedom of expression and association.
Ihar works to promote and defend the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people. This incident occurred shortly after Ihar Tsikhanyuk tried to register the Human Rights Centre Lambda, an organisation that supports the rights of LGBTI people in Belarus. Nobody has been brought to justice for ill-treating him. Ihar Tsikhanyuk has said: “I don’t want to hide myself. I live openly. It is not easy in Belarus, but I want to show people that I am a person like everybody. With my example I want to show that it is possible to live openly.” Belarus has a history of human rights violations, including; harassment of human right defenders, independent media and defense lawyers, detainment of political prisoners, and reports of torture and mistreatment of detainees. Write to: the General Prosecutor in Belarus
Before Yorm Bopha’s arrest, she had been actively defending her community’s right t o housing at Boeung Kak Lake, where thousands of people have been forcibly evicted from their homes. Yorm Bopha is held at the Prison Judiciaire military police detention facility, Phnom Penh. Write to: The Minister of Justice in Cambodia Start your letter: Your Excellency In your letter: •
State that Yorm Bopha is a prisoner of conscience, detained on baseless charges for her peaceful activism defending the right to housing and freedom of expression.
•
Call for her immediate and unconditional release.
•
Call on the authorities to publicly condemn and order an end to harassment and violence against human rights defenders.
Start your letter: Dear General Prosecutor In your letter: • Call on the authorities to thoroughly, independently and impartially investigate the allegations that Ihar Tsikhanyuk was beaten by police and targeted because of his sexual orientation. • Ensure that the officers responsible are brought to justice through disciplinary and criminal proceedings as appropriate. • Respect and ensure the rights of all those in Belarus without discrimination on any of the grounds prohibited under international law, including gender identity and sexual orientation.
GOT MORE TIME? Check out the Write for Rights website here to access more cases: www.amnesty.org.au/write WRITE FOR RIGHTS IN THE CLASSROOM Are you a teacher? Incorporate Write for Rights into you class activity for term four or term one next year. Download a curriculum resource, with lesson plans for both primary and high school students, at www.amnesty.org.au/write If you want us to send you a copy email youth@amnesty.org.au
CAMPAIGNS : INFORMATION AND ACTION
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK TERM FOUR 2013 | SECTION 02.2
ACT NOW>>
Death to the death penalty
Show the world that school students believe the death penalty should be stopped. Get a blackboard, whiteboard or sign and write why you think the death penalty needs to be abolished. Take a photo of yourself or a group of people holding the sign, then email your photo to youth@amnesty.org.au We will share the photos online to show the world that young people stand against the death penalty.
Amnesty International is calling for the Australian Government to fight for the abolition of the death penalty around the world. Right now, 23,000 people are on death row. Every day, all over the world men, women and even children face execution. Amnesty International is opposed to the death penalty in all cases without exception, regardless of the crime, the offender, or the method used by the state to kill the prisoner. The death penalty is cruel, inhuman and degrading. It is a violent punishment that has no place in today’s criminal justice system. It ultimately denies individuals their fundamental right to life. Amnesty International has been campaigning for the total abolition of capital punishment since 1977, and since then we have fueled a global trend towards abolition. Unfortunately, in recent years, we have seen countries in the Asia-Pacific return to the use of the death penalty. WORLD DAY AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY Amnesty International held candlelight vigils all across the world in recognition of World Day Against the Death Penalty on 10 October. In Australia nearly 50 Amnesty groups took part, including school groups. The vigils were really successful, with crowds turning out all over Australia to stand against the death penalty. Groups collected signatures and took photos, to show our government that Australians care about upholding the right to life.
Anti-death penalty vigils, October 2013. Byron Bay (below) and Brisbane (right) Š AI
Please also get consent form for anyone in the photo, signed by their parent or guardian. Scan the forms and send them back to us with your photo.
Media consent form At events, we sometimes take photographs, videos and otherwise collect information from participants. We use this information to assist our promotional activities in Australia and internationally. If you/your child have attended an event, your/their image may have been captured by one of our photographers. We may want to use those images in our campaign materials, both online and in hard copy. Before we can use your/your child’s image, or any other information we have collected, we are required to obtain your consent. This consent form authorises us to use your/your child’s personal information (including images) for promotional purposes. USE OF THE IMAGE AND PERSONAL INFORMATION Amnesty International Australia (AIA), and from time to time other Amnesty International Sections, will use your/your child’s personal information for promotional activities (eg newsletters, magazines, websites, television advertisements, videos, general advertising, internal documents etc). There may also be occasions when we release your/your child’s personal information to third parties, such as: •
media (eg newspapers, television networks);
•
contractors engaged by AIA (eg consultants, advisers, IT and internet service providers).
LICENCE You grant us a non-exclusive, revocable, non-transferable and royalty-free licence to use your/your child’s image, personal information or other material for the purposes of promotional activities. You acknowledge that: •
•
WITHDRAWAL OF CONSENT Your consent for us to use your/your child’s image or personal information can be modified or revoked at anytime. However, any changes will only apply from the date we receive the consent withdrawal. Any existing material will not be withdrawn from use by us (if we are using the material), or if we have entered into contractual obligations in relation to that material. In such cases the withdrawal will be effective after our use of the material. In such cases the withdrawal will be effective after our use of the material is complete and after our contractual obligations have come to an end. PRIVACY If you have queries about our treatment of your/your child’s personal information please review our privacy policy located at http://www.amnesty.org.au/about/comments/22335/ or forward an email to youth@amnesty.org.au AUTHORITY TO USE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION By signing this form you acknowledge: •
You are over 18 years of age.
•
If relevant, you are the parent/guardian of the child to which this consent form relates.
•
That you have read the statements above and agree that we can use your/your child’s personal information for promotional purposes.
Name: ____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________
We or other third parties to whom we disclose the personal information are not liable to pay a fee, or in the case of media activity, seek further approval for additional publication. We are not responsible for any loss or damage, or any claims that might arise out of the use of images or other information.
Address:
________________________________________________
Any personal information (including images) may be edited without notice to you.
Signature: ________________________________________________
________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________
Date: ____________________________________________________
You also consent to us contacting you in the future to seek your/your child’s participation in any media or marketing activity.
For persons under the age of 18:
LIMITATION OF CONSENT
Child’s name:______________________________________________
If you would not like your/your child’s personal information or image associated with a particular campaign, or on a particular forum, please briefly note the situations or circumstances in which you would not approve the use of your/your child’s information: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________ Child’s age: ______________________________________________
■
You can identify this child by his or her first name as set out above.
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Please identify this child by first name ONLY. Please do not identify this child by name.
CAMPAIGNS : INFORMATION AND ACTION
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK TERM FOUR 2013 | SECTION 02.3
Refugee rights are human rights In July this year, the Australian Government announced a new asylum seeker policy, the ‘Regional Settlement Arrangement’. This new policy meant that anyone who arrived by boat would not be processed or resettled in Australia, but sent to Papua New Guinea or another country to be resettled. Amnesty International and other refugee rights groups condemned this move. Papua New Guinea is one of the poorest countries in the Asia Pacific region and has a myriad of human rights issues. When the United Nations High Commission for Refugees visited the detention facility on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, it found that it was cramped and that people there were subject to extreme temperatures, flooding and mosquitoes. Asylum seekers are detained here with no idea when they may be released. There is a lot of evidence to show that this kind of harsh, long-term detention can cause serious damage to people’s mental health and children’s development.
i
Remember, things can change rapidly in this campaign so check www.amnesty.org.au for the most current information.
Unfortunately, the change of government in September has not resulted in better policies for asylum seekers. The newly elected Australian Government has now built on the ‘Regional Settlement Arrangement’ with their own policies. So what does this new policy mean for those who arrive by boat?
THE FACTS It is not illegal to seek asylum. The majority of people who arrive by boat are legitimate refugees fleeing persecution. There is no queue. In 2012, of the 15,400,000 refugees registered worldwide, only 88,600 were resettled in safe countries. That’s 0.6%. Australia’s refugee intake is small compared with the rest of the world. In the last 18 months about 40,000 people have arrived by boat in Australia. However, in Syria it is estimated that there will be 2 million displaced people (refugees) by the end of the year.
Za’atri refugee camp for Syrian refugees. Jordan, June 2013. © AI
SIGN THE PLEDGE amnesty.org.au/refugeepledge
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK TERM FOUR 2013 | SECTION 02.3
ACT NOW>>
TURNING BACK THE BOATS In the media you may have heard people talk about “turning back the boats”. In essence this means that when the Australian Government hears about boats on their way to Australia, they will send the Navy to force the boats to leave Australian waters. back boats doesn’t just violate the right to seek asylum, it puts ✘ Turning everyone’s life at risk – asylum seekers, crew and Navy personnel. of all, it risks sending genuine refugees back to countries where ✘ Worst they will be tortured, murdered or persecuted. TEMPORARY PROTECTION VISAS Essentially a Temporary Protection Visa says, “Yes, we know you are a refugee but you can’t stay here forever”. The visas last three years and require refugees to reapply after this time, in case the situation has changed in their homeland. on Temporary Protection Visas do not have access to the same ✘ People resources as other refugees, including benefits. They also cannot apply to be reunited with family and have no right to return to Australia if they leave the country. visas have huge mental health impacts on people who have already ✘ These fled war, persecution and terror. They can’t feel safe; instead they live
1. If you haven’t already, take the refugee pledge and show our government that people care about how asylum seekers are treated: www.amnesty.org.au/refugees 2. Share the pledge on your social media account. 3. Ask your friends and family to take the pledge. GOT MORE TIME? 4. Photocopy and cut out the Amnesty door hanger. Place it somewhere in your home or school. Remember to ask first if the door doesn’t belong to you! Take a photo of your door hanger and send it to us. We will then share it on social media. Think of a way to be creative – can you hang your door hanger next to the school sign? Or in your SOSE building? Send your photos to youth@amnesty.org.au
POLICY UNPACKED
with the constant fear of being returned to their homeland too soon. DENYING REFUGEE STATUS FOR THOSE THOUGHT TO HAVE DESTROYED DOCUMENTS
✘
People who flee their homeland don’t have documents (eg a passport to identify who they are) for a variety of reasons. In a lot of cases people smugglers have advised people to destroy their documents, or they have lost them on the perilous journey. Some people never had documents in the first place. Have you ever applied for a passport in Australia? It can be a lengthy process, and you need our government’s help to obtain one. Do you think you could do this if your government was trying to hurt you or throw you in prison?
IS IT LEGAL? In short, no. Australia has signed the Refugee Convention which legally obliges Australia to offer protection to asylum seekers. The convention also says that people should not be discriminated against due to their method of arrival. The policies also run a high risk returning people to murder, torture and persecution. However, the policies only affect those who arrive by boat. Graeme McGregor, refugee campaigner
Unfortunately, these issues are just the tip of the iceberg.
IS IT ETHICAL? WHERE TO NOW? We need to keep talking about these things in our community and demonstrate to our government that we want asylum seekers treated fairly.
Amnesty activists send an SOS for refugees to Europe, from the Greek island of Lesvos, July 2013. © AI (Photo: Giorgos Moutafis)
This is a question you need to ask yourself. My view is that we have an ethical obligation to ensure people are treated fairly and equally, and that we are pretty lucky to be in a country where we are safe. Asylum seekers are some of the world’s most vulnerable people. I would hope that if I, or the people I cared about, needed protection, other countries would welcome me with open arms. What do you think? Dan, youth coordinator
SEEKING ASYLUM IS A HUMAN RIGHT
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SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR REFUGEE RIGHTS
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