Millions of people around the world have no choice but to flee their homeland to escape persecution and conflict. Refugees seek asylum in other countries so they can rebuild their lives, but they are often unable to obtain proper passports and visas.


Refugees have managed to escape war-torn and repressive countries such as Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia and Turkey, often risking their lives in unseaworthy boats, only to be herded into hellholes in searing heat. Once incarcerated, detainees are deliberately dehumanised—they are each assigned a number, officially addressed only by this number and required to wear it at all times. They are assembled via loudspeakers several times a day. As one of the workers at Woomera told the media: “It is not like a concentration camp. It is a concentration camp.”
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2000/dec2000/woom-d01.shtml


Christmas Island continues to be used as an offshore processing/detention centre. Amnesty International Australia has visited the newly opened $400 million detention centre on Christmas Island and found it to be harsh, unwelcoming and an inappropriate environment for asylum seekers, many of whom are survivors of torture and trauma. Moreover, the remote location of Christmas Island means that detainees accommodated there do not have access to the same legal, health and counselling services provided to detainees on the mainland. Amnesty International Australia believes that the continuing use of the Christmas Island detection centre contravenes many of Australia’s international obligations and should be closed down.
http://www.amnesty.org.au/refugees/comments/20429/

Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 2 Corinthians 8;2

Be a Lifesaver.http://www.amnesty.org.au/refugees/comments/22981/