BEHIND THE WIRE
The asylum seeker issue comes and goes depending on the ebb and flow of arrivals. But one thing that stays constant in the great debate is the support a group of Territorians shows those in detention
Children often come to the fence to talk to us
MEN, women, children and newborn babies peer from behind the fences and are met with smiles and words of support at the Darwin Airport Lodge (DAL) Detention Centre.
A group of Darwin Asylum Seeker Support and Advocacy Network ( DASSAN) members has come together to support the detainees by holding a vigil, as they have been doing every Thursday for the past year. The vigil featured in a BBC documentary about the Australian refugee system recently.
A wire fence separates the two groups, but music knows no bounds and is shared between people on both sides of the barrier as they sing and chat.
A friendly reminder
DASSAN spokeswoman Fernanda Dahlstrom said members of the community stand outside the fence at DAL to remind detainees they have not been forgotten.
“The vigils aim to provide a consistent, weekly reminder that detainees are not forgotten and that people in the community oppose detention and what is being done to asylum seekers in our name,” she said.
“People who attend speak to detainees through the fence and, on some occasions, have played music and sang for them.
“It’s to remind people in detention that members of the community are thinking of them and support them. It’s to provide them with contact with the outside world, to lift their spirits.”
Between five and 50 supporters turn out for the vigils each week.
“Members of the community who are not involved with DASSAN also attend, including children,” Ms Dahlstrom said.
The members make an effort to get to know the detainees through the wire fences during their visits.
“We speak to them about their families, where they have come from and what they want to do when they get out of detention,” Ms Dahlstrom said. “Children often come to the fence to talk to us.”
Ms Dahlstrom said most of the detainees at DAL are from Iran, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Burma.
“They’re mainly women and children,” she said.
Not forgotten
MS DAHLSTROM said detainees have said the vigils are very important to them and the highlight of their week.
“Many people have now been moved from DAL to Blaydin Point, 40km out of Darwin,” she said.
“We have told the people still at DAL that, as long as they are locked up there, no matter how many (of them), and even if they fear coming to talk to us, we will come and show that we will continue to welcome them, and that they will not be forgotten.”
Ms Dahlstrom said gifts are not allowed to be exchanged over the fence.
“But we do give gifts to people in detention when visiting them inside the centres, such as toys, clothing and food,” she said.
“The Vietnamese women in detention often give us colourful origami flowers they make.”
According to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, a total of 38,147 people were held in immigration detention, including community detention, during 2012-13, compared to 19,370 people in 2011-12. This represents an increase of 97 per cent.
On June 30 this year there were 12,027 people in immigration detention compared to 7252 on the same day last year.
These included 11,402 illegal maritime arrivals, 162 unauthorised air arrivals, 371 people who had been living in the community but had overstayed or breached visa conditions, 88 visa cancellations and four others including stowaways and ship’s deserters. There are no foreign fishers in detention.
Genuine need
MS DAHLSTROM said one of the biggest misconceptions about asylum seekers is that “the majority of boat people are not genuine refugees”.
“In fact the vast majority – over 90 per cent – are eventually granted refugee status,” she said.
She believes everyone should be more empathetic towards asylum seekers because Australia is one of the wealthiest countries in the world.
“Asylum seekers come here in search of a place where they can live their lives free from persecution,” Ms Dahlstrom said.
“The number of asylum seekers who come here is tiny compared to the number seeking asylum in many other countries.
“Many asylum seekers come here fleeing conflicts that Australia has been directly involved in.
“If Australians opposed Saddam and his regime, why did they not support the people fleeing from it?
“Asylum seekers are the most vulnerable and desperate people in the world. They deserve to be supported by those more fortunate than them, just as local people in need of help do.”