By Romy Stephens
With Refugee Week currently underway, a local group of grandmothers is urging the community to reflect on the situation refugees face, particularly during Covid-19.
Grandmothers for Refugees member Prue Litcht said hundreds of people were currently in Alternate Places of Detention (APODs), hotels and Migrant Immigration Transit Accommodation (MITA) centres.
She said these detention centres did not allow for social distancing.
“There are still hundreds of people, mostly men, in detention here in Australia,” she said.
“Some are in the community with no certainty, no ability to work or study. No ability to plan for their future.
“In all of these detention centres it is not possible to maintain social distancing, thus putting all these men at risk of contracting Covid-19 from the many movements of guards and others who work at the facilities.”
Ms Litcht said many refugees have been in detention for nearly seven years, first on Christmas Island then Manus Island or Nauru, and are now in Australian centres.
“Most of these men have refugee status, which means they cannot safely return to their countries of origin. None are criminals and have never been found guilty of any crime,” she said.
Refugee Week runs from 14-20 June and is Australia’s peak annual activity to raise awareness about refugees and celebrate the positive contributions made by refugees to society.
This year, the event will be held virtually with the theme ‘celebrating the year of welcome’.
In recognition of the event, Grandmothers for Refugees have been protesting outside Aston MP Alan Tudge’s office on numerous occasions.
They also protest at the main Belgrave roundabout between 11am-12pm every Saturday.
Ms Litcht said she encouraged locals to write to local MPs and urge action.
“The capricious nature of our processing systems means that some people have been allowed to make lives here. The remaining hundreds are in a cruel and crushing limbo with no freedom, this imposed by successive governments with no end in sight,” she said.
“Our Government is flouting UN conventions that are in place to protect the humanitarian rights of people fleeing persecution.
“We must hold our politicians to account for this ongoing inhumane travesty of justice.”
To find out more about Grandmothers for Refugees, visit www.grandmothersforrefugees.com.
