As a democratic society we cannot perpetuate the unjust and inhumane treatment of thousands of refugees and asylum-seekers in Australia who remain stateless, writes Sr Catherine McCahill SGS. Source: The Good Oil.
Stateless, yet born in Australia. Could this be true, I wonder. Yes, it is. In this country, Australia, despite our resources, our supposed commitment to human rights and our willingness to give each other “a go”, there are thousands of stateless children, women and men.
I am horrified, ashamed, perplexed. I wonder how naïve I have been.
During World Refugee Week last month, the Sisters of the Good Samaritan hosted two events which allowed me to listen to firsthand accounts of refugees who had been caught in the limbo of mandatory detention.
The stories of cruelty and deprivation disturbed me. For more than a decade, anyone who has arrived in Australia by boat has been denied asylum, even if they are found to be legitimate refugees.
Successive governments have deposited them in camps in Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Those who are released into the community are left on Temporary Protection Visas for years. These visas provide little or no right to work, education or healthcare.
The dehumanising treatment and experience of detainees in closed facilities in Australia and offshore continues to leave many of the children, women and men traumatised.
Surely as a nation, we are better than this. As someone who professes to live the parable of the Good Samaritan, I can no longer “pass by”.
After deep and careful discernment, we have decided as a congregation that we need to join others in the campaign for a royal commission into immigration detention. So, we will add our name to the open letter to the Prime Minister calling for a royal commission.
Sr Catherine McCahill is the congregational leader of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan.
FULL STORY
Good Samaritan Sisters sign Open Letter to PM to end immigration detention (The Good Oil)
RELATED COVERAGE
An Open Letter to the Prime Minister (Campaign for a Royal Commission)
