BRINGING HOPE TO REFUGEES

1. BRINGING HOPE TO REFUGEES

2. Story: AZIZ, MANUS ISLAND, PNG • Aziz is from the Darfur region of Sudan. He fled in 2013 and made it to Christmas Island, Australia. He was 20 years old when he arrived. • He was accepted as a refugee, but detained without charge. • He has been beaten, shot in the leg, seen friends die in detention. He led protests against inhumane conditions. • Recently he was given a prestigious Swiss human rights award, and praise from UNHCR for his reporting and advocacy. • Aziz has been trapped on Manus Island since 2013 and is now 26 years of age.

3. Story: Un-named ill woman, Nauru and Melbourne • Years in detention before being moved into community accommodation on Nauru • Brought to Australia for medical treatment • Under guard in a hotel room A doctor said the hotel detention was preventing the people receiving the treatment for which they were brought to Australia. “We’re prolonging their agony at the expense of taxpayers. We have to look at what are we achieving here.”

4. Story:HUYEN & ISABELLA, MELBOURNE • Huyen’s application was rejected, she ran away from community detention when several friends deported. • Met and married a fellow Christian, here from Mauritius on a temporary work visa. • She was captured while pregnant. Baby Isabella has the right to stay here while her father is here, but Huyen does not. • Raising a baby in prison is extremely difficult and detrimental to the baby’s wellbeing and development. 5 months old in this photo, Isabella old and has spent her whole life in detention

5. Offshore Detention: HUNDREDS STILL TRAPPED • Nearly six years on, hundreds still trapped on Manus in PNG & Nauru. • It has had devastating impacts on those subject to it, including: • Deteriorating mental health; very high levels of depression, anxiety or PTSD; alarming incidents of self-harm; high risk of suicide. • Deteriorating physical health due to poor living conditions, limited access to medical facilities • • At least twelve people dying as a result of being in offshore detention • Continued reports of sexual abuse and other serious harm, fear of safety • • Escalating pattern of deportations and ‘voluntary returns’ despite lack of fair process and clearly established risk of harm. Several people have been killed after deportation. • • Families separated between the islands and Australia, without any current hope of resolution. • (NB. This regime costs Australia over A$1 billion per year, more than A$464,000 per person annually. )

6. Asylum Seekers here: destitution, exploitation, ANXIETY • Right now, there are over 24,000 people seeking asylum living in our communities and in indefinite detention who've been waiting, some for 10 years, to have their refugee claims assessed. • While they wait many have been denied the right to work, relying on income support which the Government has now cut, leaving thousands of men, women and their children to face or experience destitution and homelessness.  

7. Reflect and pray: Watch ‘Five Years’ by The Norwesterlies The Norwesterlies are a Melbourne four piece band. Connect with them through their Facebook page or website blacksheepmusic.com.au

8. Reflect and pray: WHAT DOES OUR FAITH COMPEL US TO DO? ‘The spirit of the Lord God is upon me…he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners’ – Isaiah 61:1 “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” – Mt. 2:13 “I was hungry. And you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty. And you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger. And you invited me in. I needed clothes. And you gave them to me. I was sick. And you took care of me. I was in prison. And you came to visit me.” – Mt. 25: 35 - 36 ‘I have come so that they may have life, and have it more abundantly’ – John 10:10

9. Individual action: vote with refugees in mind 2019 Election Policy Comparison One thing we can do is consider carefully which party/candidate we vote for in the upcoming election and to to ’vote with heart’ with the wellbeing of asylum seekers and refugees in mind. The Refugee Council of Australia’s ‘I Choose Humane’ project, signed by key refugee organisations, lists the stated policies of the bigger parties, and compares them with their platform for change across five key areas. For more details go to the refugee council website and the websites of these parties, listed here: Our Platform for Change: https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/platform-change/ Liberal and National Party: https://www.liberal.org.au/our-plan/border-protection Australian Labor Party: https://www.alp.org.au/asylumseekers https://www.alp.org.au/about/national-platform/ The Greens: https://greens.org.au/policies/immigration-and-refugees https://greens.org.au/sites/default/files/2018-12/Greens%202019%20Policy%20Platform%20-%20Refugees%20%26%20 Asylum%20Seekers.pdf

10. Community action: WORK FOR POLICY CHANGE In 2017, a wide range of actors from across the Australian refugee sector and movement worked together to articulate a platform for reform of Australian refugee policy. Outlined below are the five key policy areas we must change for Australia to be a just, egalitarian nation that will prosper into the future: • The permanent end to offshore processing • A fair process for claiming asylum • Reform of the immigration detention system • A larger and more responsive Refugee and Humanitarian Program • Australia’s improved engagement in Asia Refugee Council of Australia ‘I Choose Humane’

11. Local church action: join other Christians IN ADVOCACY To connect with Love Makes a Way, go to our Facebook page or email Abi: abi.bannon@yahoo.com.au Phil: philhuddo@yahoo.com.au