I've been diligently working on a follow-up to my last post about civil disobedience that I hope to post soon but I want to interrupt with an update on an earlier post. A little while back I wrote about the detention in Australia of a young, refugee named Ranjini (if you'd like to read it - http://rightzblock.blogspot.fr/2012/12/life-imprisonment.html).
Ranjini was pregnant and there has been a lot of work by a lot of people to help free her before the birth of her baby. Well on the 15th of January Ranjini gave birth to baby boy named Paartheepan or Paari. Unfortunately she had not been freed from immigration detention at the time and as I understand it she has now been returned to Villawood detention center.
Today I'd like to share with you a letter I wrote to my local federal member challenging her on this issue. If you're in reading this in Australia and you feel strongly about this issue I'd challenge you to write to your local member as well. It's easy to do; you'll find their email contact online. If you're not in Australia, perhaps you could get on Twitter and message our Prime Minister on @JuliaGillard. I believe that this is a serious issue, deserving of attention just as I believe that a strong, engaged group of people can make a difference when they raise their voices.
Here's the letter:
Dear Minister,
I have written to you in the past regarding the current government's
policies on refugees and asylum seekers. I do not support policies of mandatory
detention nor do I support punitive, 'no advantage' policies regarding the
processing of boat arrivals. As I have mentioned in the past, it is well
documented in the scientific literature that detention has negative physical
and psychological consequences for those detained. All of these points I feel
must be acted on by a government that is both signatory to the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of Refugees and a member of the United Nations
Security Council.
Today I write out of urgency and sadness on the impacts of these
issues. On the 15th of January 2013 a young Sri Lankan woman named Ranjini gave
birth to a baby boy in detention. As I understand it both Ranjini and her son
have now been returned to Villawood detention center. My understanding of the
case is that Ranjini has received a positive refugee assessment from the
government but a negative security assessment from ASIO. She now faces
indefinite detention without a right to appeal. That's means that the current
government is presiding over an illogical, unjust system and the consequence is
a newborn child, innocent of any crime is locked up.
Ranjini's story is not the only tale of detention deserving of
attention. It is however the most striking case of the impersonal, bureaucratic
attitude both the government and the opposition take of refugee issues. This is
not about statistics of numbers on boats; this is a child born in Australian
that is deserving of the protections our society offers. If you are not
currently aware of groundswell of support for Ranjini I would recommend you
check out the website 'letters for Ranjini' (http://lettersforranjini.com/)
for some perspectives on the public's feelings on this issue.
I am a voter in the electorate of Sydney and I would ask you to respond
as my local member. I also challenge you to raise this issue in all it's
gravity with your colleagues. Ranjini's story raises very real questions about
Australia's approach to human rights and justice. If we cannot as a society
protect those most vulnerable and respect the rights of those unable to protect
themselves we must be judged poorly in the eyes of the world.
More importantly though I would ask you to utilise what influence you
have within your party and the government to help free Ranjini and her newborn
son before untold harm is done to this new life.
Yours faithfully,
Andrew Pople
No comments:
Post a Comment