Today someone told me that they think that Muslims should use their terrorist attacks for good and go and blow up refugee boats. I still feel ill.
So I've attached an English speech that I did at the beginning of this year which aims to convince people that not only is mandatory detention illogical but to lend a sense of understanding as to why people flee their country.
Imagine this. You live in a country where each day, you’re fighting to stay alive. Going to school could be a life or death situation, or worse yet, you may not have even had an education at all. A nation where the government is against the people, not for the people. An environment which is unsafe for anyone, yet is called home by millions of people each day.
Then one day, someone approaches you offering a way out, an opportunity for freedom and to live in safety. So you pool together your few assets and risk your life on a run down boat all for this dream to become a reality but when you arrive, you are captured by the Government and locked up in what feels like a prison, surrounded by hundreds of men, women and children who are in similar situations, simply looking for freedom.
Each year, an average of 3000 people arrive by boat into Australia. The majority of these people are placed in the horrible conditions of mandatory detention centres where it can take up to 2 to 3 years to be processed as a genuine refugee and granted asylum. There are better ways than locking helpless people up where they are more prone to obtaining a mental illness and increased suicide risks.
Our own national anthem says ‘for those who’ve come across the seas, we’ve boundless plains to share’ except, the only plains we seem to be sharing with them are the 1 of 13 detention centres spread across our country and the planes we’re sending them back in.
We as a nation claim to strive on multiculturalism and democracy yet we lock up those who come to strengthen our multicultural communities and give them no say and hardly any rights. Our country claims one thing, yet does another and this is setting an unrealistic image to those who think coming to Australia provides freedom and safety when it only grants them anytime up to 3 years in captivity and inhumane environments.
Immigration detention centres increase suicide risks and mental illnesses. On the day of June 9 2011, there were five incidents of self-harm, two hanging attempts, four threats of self-harm and one of suicide ideation. This is all completely preventable with the abolishment of mandatory detention. Although there is health treatment access in detention centres there is not enough facilities to cater for the amount of mental illnesses and self harm threats made. In 2010, 1137 claims of self harm were made. This is 1137 to many.
Due to being locked up and yearning for freedom, health deteriorates and some have even tried throwing themselves at the barb wired fences or even attempting suicide with shaving razors. If we lock people up and they commit suicide as a result of the conditions we put them in, is their blood not on our hands?
An article in the age on July 6th 2011 called ‘Detention centres are mental illness factories’ claims that there is a relationship between mental health and length stayed in detention centres. The longer the stay, the more deterioted the asylum seekers health, which shows that detention is not good for the health and rights of a person.
Only 40% of those who overstay their visa, then apply for refugee status are found to be genuine refugees. Between 80-97% of those who arrive by boat are found to be genuine refugees. Yet, regardless of what statistics show, those who arrive by boat are immediately locked up, but those who overstay their visa and are caught are usually offered a ‘bridging visa’ which allows them to stay and function in the community whilst their immigration matter is being resolved.
If those who arrive by plane can function in society whilst their applications are being processed, the question is, why can’t those who arrive by boat? The answer is, they can, they just aren’t given the opportunity. We as a nation base our opinions on fear, not fact and this therefore creates unreasonable treatment towards asylum seekers.
Those in favour of mandatory detention argue that if we were to just allow them to enter communities, there would be small ‘ghetto’s’ around the country and an increased and overpopulated nation.
The government spend an average of 110 thousand dollars per asylum seeker. This has totalled to 2.4 billion dollars since 2000. If all the money spent on holding asylum seekers in mandatory detention was put towards creating new infrastructure and communities, this would not only provide new, facilitated suburbs for asylum seekers and other members of society, this would also create new job opportunities and refugees would function normally and constructively as soon-to-be Australians
It is made evident that mandatory detention is no good for the health or rights of asylum seekers, not does it do any good to the economy. For the standards and morals our nation tries to show other countries, we don’t seem to be standing by what we say. There are more appropriate ways for asylum seekers to live whilst being processed as stated earlier, by creating new suburbs and communities.
The question I leave you with is this. If one day, you woke up and everything you had and knew disappeared, the nation was corrupt, war was everywhere and you knew that if you stayed, you and your children would die at a age to premature, would you migrate to another country to seek fulfilment and safety?
