I visited Villawood yesterday. It was a nice sunny day, I had fun.
There are some things I constantly have to remind myself when I'm putting away all my valuables and walking through the airport like metal scanning machine.
1- This is not a jail. Which leads to a second realization; those people did not do anything wrong.
This is actually a jail. There are criminals in Villawood who are from overseas. Their last few weeks or months they're kept in Villawood before being deported to their home countries.
Why on earth would this stupid government keep criminals with Asylum seekers ? They are not the same! They should not be treated like criminals. The very fact they're kept in detention FOR YEARS goes against the UN conversions on refugees of which Australia is a signatory. It's wrong if you don't know the plight of these people, and it's evil if you know them. If you visit them week in and week out. When you grow, get married, have kids, get a job, buy a house. And they're just there ! just waiting for a visa or a security check or just some paper work slowed down by Political sensibilities.
2- What is a good day in Villawood ? It was a beautiful day, my friend (who I'll call Ali) is not ever allowed to forget that he's being kept in this detention center like an animal. He used to remember the exact number of days he's been in detention. Now he doesn't care to count any more. He sleeps for 10-15 hours at a time and stays away for 30 hours after. It doesn't matter, It's not like he's going anywhere.
Imagine being stuck in a bus stop for an extra 20 minutes, or at an airport for 10 hours, how lost do you feel? image 2 years of this. Those guys don't know how much longer they're going to stay caged like this. It could be another 10 days or 10 years. At some point it ceases to matter for them.
I really hope Chris Bowen or Julia can come see the desperation and the breaking down of innocent human beings that they're the cause of.
There are some things I constantly have to remind myself when I'm putting away all my valuables and walking through the airport like metal scanning machine.
1- This is not a jail. Which leads to a second realization; those people did not do anything wrong.
This is actually a jail. There are criminals in Villawood who are from overseas. Their last few weeks or months they're kept in Villawood before being deported to their home countries.
Why on earth would this stupid government keep criminals with Asylum seekers ? They are not the same! They should not be treated like criminals. The very fact they're kept in detention FOR YEARS goes against the UN conversions on refugees of which Australia is a signatory. It's wrong if you don't know the plight of these people, and it's evil if you know them. If you visit them week in and week out. When you grow, get married, have kids, get a job, buy a house. And they're just there ! just waiting for a visa or a security check or just some paper work slowed down by Political sensibilities.
2- What is a good day in Villawood ? It was a beautiful day, my friend (who I'll call Ali) is not ever allowed to forget that he's being kept in this detention center like an animal. He used to remember the exact number of days he's been in detention. Now he doesn't care to count any more. He sleeps for 10-15 hours at a time and stays away for 30 hours after. It doesn't matter, It's not like he's going anywhere.
Imagine being stuck in a bus stop for an extra 20 minutes, or at an airport for 10 hours, how lost do you feel? image 2 years of this. Those guys don't know how much longer they're going to stay caged like this. It could be another 10 days or 10 years. At some point it ceases to matter for them.
I really hope Chris Bowen or Julia can come see the desperation and the breaking down of innocent human beings that they're the cause of.
2 comments:
your story has so much dark undertones to it.
Are we not animals? I don't know if i can say that we definately aren't if I look closely at our country's history.
Thank you for commenting. The dark undertones are because the only thing I can do for those poor people is FEEL and WRITE, which is pathetic.
Also, I've come across others who say similar things, that we are animals because of what we do to each other, or that it's just part of natural selection that the weak get trampled by the strong. I don't accept that.
1- In the context you mention, we are worse than Animals. The latter kill for food and protection while the former kill because of the color of a turban or they way a ring is worn.
2- As a Muslim, I refuse to believe that us trying to survive in chaos is somehow the reality of this life. There are choices, and while others choose to do evil and justify it as political need or cultural or religious imperative (like Qabeel), we can choose to seek make peace (like Habeel).
thanks for dropping by
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