‘It's a huge job for one person: two
detention centres, two locations and more than 1,800 people all needing some TLC.'
These are the words of Sr Maureen
Lohrey RSM, who recently returned from a seven-week placement among asylum
seekers on Christmas Island. Sr Maureen was the first person to travel to the
island as part of an ongoing pastoral project initiated in collaboration with
Jesuit Refugee Service Australia. In this edited extract from her report on
Christmas Island, she paints a moving picture of the daily setbacks and small
victories that shape the lives of the asylum seekers as they wait to hear
whether they will be allowed to settle in Australia.
As
I left Christmas Island, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude
for being able to accompany the asylum seekers on their difficult journey to
find safety and peace. It was a great privilege to be with these wonderful
people, the most needy in our region
There
are two of these centres: the smaller one houses three to four hundred people,
mainly families and unaccompanied minors; the larger one, built more recently
and now being extended to cater for a further 600 people, is at North West
Point (NWP). At the moment there are approximately 1400 asylum seekers, men
only, at NWP. The whole site is very well planned. It is divided into five main
sections, each separated by high walls of steel mesh and fencing. There is
maximum security but during the daytime the whole area is open for the asylum
seekers to go freely between, so that you don't get the feeling of being in a
prison. Activities are very important for both the physical and mental health
of the people, so they have a large gym, a sports oval in the open area between
the living areas, a library operated by the refugees themselves, and designated
areas for teaching English and other activities.
Boatloads
of asylum seekers keep on coming, and as quickly as immigration processes them
and gives them visas to leave the island, their places are taken by new
arrivals.
Thursdays
are the days for getting visas and the mood in the centre is very tense. Those
fortunate enough to get these - generally up to 100 each week - will fly out to
Australia on a specially chartered plane the following Wednesday, and so
there's great celebration. But for those who came to the island on earlier
boats and have been waiting for up to eight or nine months, there is terrible
depression. This waiting is the most difficult part for them. They have time to
worry about their families, their wives and children left behind, and they feel
guilty they've reached safety and their families are still in danger. Then
there are those few who are being deported, and it's a very sad experience to
see them go.
To
be able to spend time with the asylum seekers as they wait, to encourage them
when they've had their cases rejected, to keep hoping with them when they're so
depressed - it's not an easy task, but a great privilege. To see grown men
sitting alone on the ground slumped over, their shoulders heaving with sobs is
not an easy sight.
The
Hazaras [Afghani asylum seekers] know that there is no way they can live
peacefully in their own country where they are not recognised by authorities,
and all must flee for safety; it's not possible for them to return. They are
prepared to risk their lives to get freedom so that they can begin to live some
kind of a life. These are wonderfully brave men and I've really enjoyed being
with them, and felt really accepted and needed.
A
23-year-old Kurd told me that his visa application had just been rejected a
second time, but his brother was given a visa and his sister was married in
Sydney, where he also had cousins. He was desperate, not eating or sleeping,
but I tried to get him to keep hoping that his next appeal would be granted. He
seemed to be in better spirits as I left him and he promised he'd try to keep
hoping. When I arrived the next day I was told that he had attempted suicide. I
found him in the medical centre and his face brightened as he saw me so I was
able to lift his spirits a bit. He has now been transferred to Perth, where
he'll get some treatment and hopefully lasting help.
I
am very impressed with the way the asylum seekers are treated with great respect
and dignity. I've found the staff of Serco - the independent contactor which
runs the centre - very good to work with, but it's hard work and long hours in
hot and humid conditions. Both Serco and immigration asked me to see if JRS
could get more staff, and said that accommodation would not be a problem. It's
a huge job for one person or even two people: two detention centres, two
locations and more than 1800 people all needing some TLC.
By Sr Maureen Lohrey RSM
Sr Lohrey was replaced by Sr Lizzie
Finnerty, who finishes her placement shortly. Sr Joan Kelleher will start
working on Christmas Island at the end of March, and Fr Chris Jenkins SJ will
spend a month there en route to a new posting with JRS in East Africa in April.
You can
read Sr Maureen's full report here.