Australian bishop laments treatment of asylum seekers
January 21, 2011
An Australian bishop has called upon the nation’s government to offer more humane living conditions to those seeking political asylum.
“The federal government must ease the suffering of asylum seekers in remote facilities waiting for their claims to be assessed,” he said. “The pastoral work of the Church shows how the crowded conditions in detention for long periods simply adds to the trauma of being forced to flee persecution and danger in their homelands. At the end of the day, the facilities at Curtin are still barbed-wire encampments set in the midst of an inhospitable environment. At its best it represents a punitive response to a global social problem involving millions of displaced people.”
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
