Ismail is a young Somalian refugee who fled Somalia in 2013 in search of a safe place to live. After arriving in Australia by boat, he since has been detained in offshore detention on Manus Island and in other facilities in Papua New Guinea for the past 6 years.
This is yet another example of the cruel and unnecessary treatment of refugees and asylum seekers by the Australian government. The United Nations, Amnesty International, and many other human rights organisations have deemed the conditions on Australia’s offshore processing facilities on Manus Island and Nauru to be inhumane. These facilities have been at the centre of many human rights controversies.
However, there is a path forward for Ismail, and for others who find themselves in his situation. Canada is running a community sponsorship program where local organisations sponsor refugees from around the world to be settled in Canada. As a refugee recognised by the United Nations Refugee Agency, Ismail is eligible to be settled in Canada under this sponsorship program.
This is an opportunity to drastically change Ismail’s life for the better, allowing him access to better living conditions, health care, a fair wage, and giving him the ability to reconnect with his family and contribute to his community. Just give him a fair go!
In order to get him there however, we need to raise $20,000.00 to cover all the costs of immigration processing and community settlement. Here is a link to a Chuffed.org fundraiser to help Ismail get the money he needs to get out of Papua New Guniea and settle in Canada.
At Martin Bullock Lawyers we pride ourselves on our values of compassion, diversity, tolerance and justice. We are appalled at the way our government has treated legitimate asylum seekers – people in real need – who have risked everything to come to our country. We know there are many Australians who are just as appalled as we are. The terrible conditions on Manus Island and Nauru, and the inhumane treatment of those who are kept there, are a blight on our country’s history.
We ask that you donate as much as you can to help Ismail, as well as spreading awareness wherever possible about the ongoing treatment of asylum seekers by the Australian government. It is cruel, it is inhumane, and it goes against everything that a just society should do. Let’s put an end to it.