Doras Luimní Bulletin

Transcription

1 Contents Events Update Direct Support: Advice and Information Centre and Legal Service Updates Integration Planning Advocacy and Campaigns Other Doras Projects Community Focus: Life in Direct Provision Doras Luimní Bulletin Issue 24: April 26 th 2013 Events Update Keep in touch Address: Doras Luimní, Mount St. Vincent, O'Connell Avenue, Limerick. Phone: A South Africa Trade Event takes place at 6.30pm on 25 th April at Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick. Four economic development agencies from South Africa will be showcasing the unique opportunities that exist for trade and investment in their regions. The event will be hosted by Limerick Chamber of Commerce and the Ambassador of The Republic of South Africa, H.E. Azwindini Jeremiah Dingaan Ndou. To attend RSVP Ms Anne Boulter on or boultera@dirco.gov.za. We will be holding an information seminar on Human Trafficking and Migrant Prostitution in Limerick on Wednesday May 22nd at 2:30pm. For more information contact Patricia Stapleton at Doras Luimní on or p.stapleton@dorasluimni.org. Please RSVP by Friday May 10th as places will be limited. The Limerick District Futsal League continues every Monday from 7pm at The Factory, Galvone Industrial Estate, Roxboro Rd, Limerick. For more information contact Barbara on Direct Support: Advice and Information Centre and Legal Service Updates Throughout the month of March 129 service users attended the Advice and Information Centre, primarily for assistance with their asylum applications, citizenship, Direct Provision issues and social welfare queries. 41 of our meetings were with people currently in the asylum process, a further 26 were with people awaiting either an answer on the Humanitarian Leave to Remain or Subsidiary Protection applications, 8 were refugees, 7 EU Nationals, 5 with Family Reunification Status, 9 naturalised Irish citizens and 27 with Leave to Remain. There were 40 new clients added to our database in March, 21 of these were male and 19 female and the top countries of nationality being Sudan, India, Pakistan and Poland. We met 20 people in delivering our outreach service over the month of March, 9 of whom were female and 11 were male and 3 of them were new to our service. Our Direct Support services continue to receive a high number of clients and queries in relation to EU Treaty Rights, domestic abuse and undocumented migrants. The issue of racism has come to the fore in recent weeks and we continue to work closely with individuals, families and organisations that have encountered such issues. We are following up on a number of cases which have been reported to us. We are currently working to facilitate the settlement of a family who were brought to Ireland as Programme Refugees. Outcomes We assisted a client who has been in the country since 2004 in securing a positive Leave to Remain decision. We successfully assisted a family to secure an extension of a visitor s visa (stamp 3). Our client is a minor and was granted permission in line with her parents permission to remain in the State. We supported a client who has now been granted permission to remain in the State based on

2 marriage to an Irish national. We secured a positive Leave to Remain decision for a client who has been in the country since We assisted a client from another EU country to secure Irish citizenship by naturalisation. A client has been granted Family Reunification in respect of his wife and child who are living in a war-torn country. We are hopeful that they will be able to join our client in Ireland in the near future. We assisted a client in acquiring his stamp 4 despite being unable to fulfill the requirement of providing a national passport. We supported a client who is a Direct Provision resident in securing a transfer to another accommodation centre in order to be closer to his child. We secured an Irish passport for a client s daughter who was born in Ireland. The original application for an Irish passport for the child had been refused due to her not having sufficient stamps in her passport, despite the parents having letters from Justice that clearly showed they had been resident in the State for over 3 years prior to the child s birth. We supported the family in appealed the initial refusal using the recently revised ruling that the letters from the Department of Justice take precedent over stamps on passports. Survey Doras Clients Over the next few weeks we will be carrying out a phone survey in which we will contact all the clients we have worked with over the last 18 months. We hope this will help us in producing a clear picture of the outcomes and impacts of our work on the lives of our clients. We look forward to hearing about their experiences and following up on the results of our interventions. We are also keen to hear the experiences of clients we have referred to other services. Domestic Violence Training All Doras staff participated in a day-long in-house training session with Adapt Services on domestic violence earlier this month. This is part of our ongoing professional development programme. The training focused on identifying the typical indicators of domestic violence, understanding characteristics and behaviours of perpetrators and victims. The training helped develop staff skills in engaging with and supporting victims of domestic abuse. Direct Provision Mediation Over Easter the residents of Hanratty s Direct Provision hostel requested our support and intervention in addressing the concerns of the residents. We worked closely to facilitate dialogue between all the relevant stakeholders residents, owners, management and the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA). Several sessions were arranged to explore ways of moving forward, including a 3 hour meeting on Good Friday with resident representatives and owners, facilitated by three members of Doras staff. As a result of the mediation the issues have been brought to a satisfactory conclusion. We have subsequently received feedback from residents that the situation in the hostel has greatly improved. We continue to monitor the situation and maintain open lines of communication with all of the parties including residents, owners, management and RIA. Integration Planning Integration and Intercultural Training We are contributing to the training of local community Gardaí in relation to integration and intercultural issues over a 5 week period as part of their on-going professional development. We are delighted with this opportunity, which shows the on-going development of collaborative and mutually supportive working relationships between Doras and statutory service providers. We are also looking at the possibility of more advanced training with the Ethnic Liaison Officers in the near future. In recent weeks we have delivered training to staff (and volunteers) at the Hunt Museum. The training focussed on promoting intercultural awareness for over 20 museum staff and volunteers who work directly with the public. We received feedback that the training was a very informative, thoughtprovoking experience for participants.

3 We hosted an Adult Education Community Law group from Southill, Limerick. The group was interested in learning more about migrant rights and how integration is supported and facilitated by Doras in Limerick. The NUIG Diploma in Community Development Practice attended an information session as part of their field trip to Limerick. The session included presentations by our Integration Policy Officer and Advice and Information Centre Manager on the range of direct support and integration services provided by Doras. We provided migrant orientation training to a group of International students who have recently arrived in Limerick to pursue further education. The orientation provides a cultural introduction to people who are newly arrived in Ireland. This training helped the participants develop a better understanding of the social and cultural landscape of Limerick. We are providing this group with on-going support and there will be further migrant orientation sessions in coming weeks. The training is based on a migrant orientation pack currently in development and is available to a wide variety of migrant groups in Limerick and further afield. Also this month the Integration Policy Officer met with local Sinn Féin party activists for a briefing on some of the work and advocacy issues which are the current focus of Doras campaigns. There was a good exchange of views on racism, anti-trafficking and the topic of Direct Provision, and how the potential for immigration reform and legislative change impacts on all of these areas. We are very happy to provide briefings to political parties and other interested groups in order to inform the wider debate on integration in the region. Next month we will deliver two days of specialised training on migrant rights to our colleagues in Adapt house. For more information on our training and integration support services please contact Matt Cannon on or m.cannon@dorasluimni.org. Africa Day It has been confirmed that Africa Day 2013 will take place on 25 th May and will be celebrated in Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. In Limerick we will be marking the occasion with a series of events throughout the city and county. Some of the highlight events include a symposium on trade and development in the Hunt Museum on 23 rd May and a free Gala concern at the Lime Tree Theatre on 24 th May. On Saturday 25 th May the annual Limerick Sixes intercultural sports festival will take place at Crescent College Comprehensive and May Music in the Park will take place in the People s Park, and an African themed workshop is planned at the Limerick City Gallery of Art and Limerick City Library at The Granary will be supporting a number of events. See our website and social media sites for further details over coming weeks. Yellow Flag Programme The Yellow Flag programme is an initiative designed to promote inclusion, interculturalism, equality and diversity into the school curriculum at primary and secondary level by encouraging interaction between students, staff, management, parents and the wider community. The idea is based on the Green Flag Programme which focuses on environmental issues. The programme provides a set of guidelines on how this can be achieved through a series of practical steps which can be applied in the day to day running of the school. Following completion the school undergoes an external assessment and successful schools are awarded a Yellow Flag in recognition of their work in promoting diversity and inclusion. Completion of the program takes a minimum of one school year. The overall aim is to foster a holistic appreciation of diversity and equality which might extend outside the school setting into the personal lives of those who participate. Participating schools are encouraged to make direct links with local minority or migrant representative organisations in their area to receive support and gain first-hand experience. The Yellow Flag Programme is currently seeking applications from both primary and secondary schools who are interested in participating in the program in the next school year. The deadline for applications 1st May. For more information contact Paula Madden Yellow Flag Co-ordinator by (yellowflagprogramme@gmail.com) or phone ( or ). There is a website which provides full details of the programme: We are delighted to support this programme

4 and if you require further information please contact Matt at or Fianna Fáil s Permissive Attitude Towards Racism and Anti-Immigrant Politics The bully pulpit is a term coined by former United States President Theodore Roosevelt in which he referred to the presidency as a public office that has the power to set an agenda. Any public office is a powerful place that can be used to lead or to pander to a populace hungry for a scapegoat. Because of this power it is a place that requires responsibility. Limerick recently hit national headlines when one Councillor decided to forgo his responsibilities and decry that it was time for an Irish-first policy in regard to housing. Councillor Kevin Sheahan stoked public fears and anxiety around the economy for political gain when he said, We should put our own people first. Our economy is tight and we can ill-afford to do anything else. We need the policy along the lines passed in England. He was quoted in a County Council meeting and in multiple media interviews as saying that Irish people seeking social housing were being told to go home to mammy while non-nationals were getting housed as soon as they breezed into the country. Migrant groups, the Department of Environment and the Central Statistics Office have provided evidence that the Councillor s comments were simply false. However, correcting the facts is the easy part of this debate; dealing with the impact of using the bully pulpit of political office to inflame racist attitudes requires greater vigilance. In a time of economic hardship, calls to blame the foreigners are an easy way to build public support. The Councillor is playing to a populist myth in an effort to garner political support. Political parties that ignore the abuse of political office risk tacit consent of the use of political scapegoating, which is an extremely dangerous precedent. The inability of the Fianna Fáil leadership to make a clear statement sanctioning the Councillor s views, which were expressed in the public forum of a County Council meeting as well as local and national media could be construed as tacit Fianna Fáil consent for anti-immigrant sentiment. A much more direct sanction must be taken by the party to send a message that it will not tolerate the inflammation of racist views for political gain. Despite outrage from members of the public, and calls for action from migrant rights groups, the response from the party leadership has been muted and completely inadequate. We sought a response from the Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin through an campaign with our colleagues in the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI), seeking to find out what action has been or will be taken at a national level. We wrote to Micheál Martin twice about this issue. We requested that he break the public silence in relation to this matter and make a formal public statement clearly stating the official Fianna Fáil position and that he demand a public apology and retraction by Councillor Sheahan of his statements made at the Limerick County Council public meeting on March 25th We also requested a meeting to specifically address the issues arising from this situation. Mr Martin ignored all three requests. Instead he acknowledged that Councillor Sheahan s allegations were unfounded and inaccurate and that his comments were totally unacceptable and wrong. He assured us that Councillor Sheahan s call for an Irish first policy are not Fianna Fáil policy and were made in a personal capacity. We do not find this very reassuring. In fact, we find it completely disingenuous given that Cllr Sheahan originally made the comments at a Limerick County Council public meeting in the course of demanding a notice of motion to the sent to the Department of the Environment for changes to the criteria for assessing eligibility for social housing. Although Councillor Sheahan s behaviour was completely unprofessional, to the extent that it provoked a mass walkout by the other members of Limerick County Council, he was clearly operating in his capacity as a County Councillor and Fianna Fáil party member. Furthermore, Councillor Sheahan subsequently reiterated his comments in interviews with the media where he repeated untrue and unfounded statements as if they were fact. In all cases he was introduced or identified as a member of Fianna Fáil party and as a Limerick County Council member. Micheál Martin has failed to act responsibility as a part leader. By refusing to sanction these antiimmigrant statements he has effectively taken a permissive stance towards the exclusionary politics of racism and intolerance. He has completely abdicated responsibility and accountability. In the meantime Councillor Sheahan continued to make these allegations, thereby wilfully misleading the public. We accuse Micheál Martin of political cowardice for taking no disciplinary action against Councillor Sheahan

5 and making no public statement disowning the comments. How can parties expect to represent migrants when they fail to sanction those who use immigrants as a scapegoat? Of course, the greater answer to the problem of myth-busting is more migrant political representation, but what migrant would join a party that failed to sanction anti-immigrant rhetoric. It is time for parties to use the bully pulpit to lead and take action to ensure that myths about immigration are not promulgated. As economic woes persist future elections will provide more fodder for those who want to score points by highlight migrants as a target. Fianna Fáil and all political parties need to tackle antiimmigrant statements with much more conviction than what we have seen in the case of Councillor Sheahan. A strong message must be sent by all of the major political parties in Ireland from their leadership that there is no place for racism and intolerance in Irish politics. We take this opportunity to remind the public that it is absolutely vital to report any incident of racism you have experienced or witnessed. Call into Doras Luimní or reportracism@dorasluimni.org and we will offer you advice, support and assistance about what to do next. The Gardaí take racism very seriously, incidents may be reported at any Garda Station. Alternatively there is an online reporting mechanism: visit and click on Report Racism. National Day of Action on Direct Provision Advocacy and Campaigns We were delighted with the positive impact of the National Day of Action on 23 rd April. There was widespread media coverage of the coordinated events around Ireland which brought the country s attention to the institutional system of accommodating asylum seekers. In Limerick there was a capacity turnout at a city centre event where current and past residents of Direct Provision shared their experiences. The replica of a family room in a Direct Provision hostel which we developed as part of our Invisible Children campaign, provided the backdrop to talks by Afghan asylum seeker Hadiq Faszly who is living in a local Direct Provision centre, and Anna Dakudzi, a refugee and naturalized Irish citizen who spent a year living in Direct Provision (see Community Focus section below). Other speakers included Dr Katie Robinson, an Occupational Therapy lecturer from the University of Limerick who has studied the conditions of Direct Provision accommodation, particularly in relation to their effects on children s development. Deirdre O Rourke, a lecturer in Development and Intercultural Education highlighted the discrepancy between the social values of equality and integration, and the widespread tolerance of inhumane and inequitable living conditions for asylum seekers. Doras Luimní CEO Karen McHugh and Advice and Information Centre Manager Leonie Kerins explained the background to the advocacy and campaigning work the organisation has been engaged in over the last 13 years since the Direct Provision system was established. Following these speeches, 35 white balloons were released in a show of solidarity with the residents of the 35 Direct Provision accommodation centres around the country. We worked with other migrant rights organisations and human rights campaigners around the country on this National Day of Action led by the Irish Refugee Council. Events took place in Cork, Castlebar, Dublin, Galway and Tralee. Social media activity in tandem with these events included a blog carnival on humanrights.ie which was updated throughout the day. We believe that at this point in time, there is a heightened awareness of the devastating impact of institutionalisation on human beings. Irish society needs to apply the lessons learned from the experience of the Magdalene Laundries to the situation of thousands of asylum seekers who are being warehoused within the Direct Provision system for long periods of time. As of the end of February 2013 there are 4,826 people living in Direct Provision accommodation across the country, and a total of 958 family units. The average stay in Direct Provision is now 3 years and 9 months. When the system was set up in 2000 it was with the intention of housing applicants for a maximum of six months. The system is simply not fit for long term accommodation of individuals and families. We are trying to get the message across to the public and to political representatives at local and national level, that by forcing people to live in these conditions we are creating massive problems for the future. Without access to employment or education people become deskilled. When people are denied the right to provide for their own basic needs, their mental health and capacity for independent living is eroded.

6 The lack of control over day to day life it is damaging to individual wellbeing and to family life. It has been well documented that this system gives rise to institutionalized poverty, social isolation and developmental problems for children. This is compounded by the fact that there is no transparent independent complaints system and residents live in fear of transfer or deportation. Doras Luimní and the Irish Refugee Council call on the public to get involved in the campaign by raising the issue with their political representatives and signing an online petition calling for an end to Direct Provision ( For further information on this campaign please contact Leonie Kerins on or The installation of replica a typical family room in Direct Provision has been a focal point of the End Institutional Living campaign in recent weeks. It was displayed as part of a one-day multimedia exhibition at a Briefing on Life in Direct Provision on Thursday 18 th April, in Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge, Kildare Street, Dublin. At the event, the Irish Refugee Council provided an overview of the Direct Provision system in Ireland, AkiDwA addressed gender issues and explained the need for women-only accommodation. We highlighted the social, physical and psychological difficulties encountered by children living in Direct Provision accommodation. The event was well attended and received cross-party support from several members of the Seanad, including Senator Jillian Van Turnhout who has been a prominent champion of the campaign. This week the installation is on display at Froebel College in Blackrock, Dublin, where it will be open to the public as a result of collaboration with the Development and Intercultural Education (DICE) project. The DICE Project aims to equip student teachers with the necessary values, ideas, skills and capacities to integrate development education and intercultural education across all relevant areas of the Primary School Curriculum. Anti-Trafficking Activities Doras CEO attended a seminar hosted by EU Anti-Trafficking Co-ordinator, Myria Vassiliadou at the Department of Justice, with other invited civil society groups to discuss Ireland's response to human trafficking earlier this month. We brought a regional perspective to this discussion based on our on-going work in delivering outreach at the local level, our partnership activities with other service providers, and our engagement in anti-trafficking advocacy and campaigning. This meeting proved to be very successful and informative for the EU Co-ordinator as often the regional perspective is not included in such meetings. As stated by Ms Vassiliadou, it is often assumed that trafficking only occurs in capital cities but this is clearly not the case in Ireland. The NGOs present at the meeting highlighted a number of shortfalls in the Irish system for identifying and combatting trafficking. The European Commission s Eurostat 2013 report on Trafficking in Human Beings was published earlier this month, the majority of whom were women (68%). Trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation is the main motivator behind the crime (this was identified in 62% of cases), followed by forced labour (which was a factor in 25% of cases). The report found that over 23,000 victims of trafficking were identified across the EU in the period between 2008 and We are concerned that despite identification of 13 traffickers in Ireland since 2008 there have been no persecutions. Unfortunately this indicates that the issue of human trafficking is not a political priority for government. The full Eurostat report is available online at We welcome the publication of the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking Amendment) Bill, 2013 which includes the criminalisation of two additional forms of exploitation - trafficking for the purposes of forced begging and trafficking for criminal activities. This brings Ireland in line with other EU countries and fulfils our obligations under the EU Directive on prevent and combating trafficking in human beings and

7 protecting its victims. We do, however, share concerns with other migrant support organisations and human rights groups, that the amendment may impact negatively on the most vulnerable people, particularly in the Roma community. As has been highlighted by our colleagues in Nasc the Irish Immigrant Support Centre, there is an emerging pattern of ethnic profiling in the implementation of the Public Order Act. The room for discretion in the implementation of the Act has created difficulty in defending legitimate forms of begging. We look forward to the launch next month of Nasc s report on the Roma community experience and institutional discrimination. Doras CEO recently attended the launch of Paid For: My Journey Through Prostitution, Rachael Moran s biographical account of her experiences of working as a prostitute in Dublin from the age of 15. The book presents an analysis of prostitution as psychosexual bullying and a manifestation of social and economic inequality. Ms Moran is a vocal advocate of the Nordic Model of legislation which decriminalises those who are exploited by the sex industry but criminalises those who avail of or profit from it. She contributed the Oireachtas Committee hearings which examined proposals for new legislation on prostitution in Ireland. She supports the Turn of Red Light Campaign (TORL) and is a co-founder of Space International Survivors of Prostitution Abuse Calling for Enlightenment a campaign by prostitution survivors which seeks to have prostitution recognised as commercialised abuse (see the website spaceinternational.ie). Rachael Moran s book Paid For: My Journey Through Prostitution is published by Gill & Macmillan. Earlier this month several members of Doras staff participated in a day-long workshop on Understanding the Traumatic Impact of Domestic and Sexual Abuse. This was organised by the MidWest Violence Against Women Network, a regional collaboration between service providers in Clare, North Tipperary and Limerick. The trainer, Zoe Lodrick, is a psychotherapist and widely recognised expert consultant specialising in sexual trauma who has worked as a therapist with the UK Rape Crisis Network and has extensive experience of working with the UK police and criminal justice system. The issues addressed included the physical impact of trauma on the brain and understanding victim responses and behavioural patterns. There was a very large turnout at the workshop with about 200 participants from a range of local service providers including members of the Local Area Network and Regional Area Network, the Gardaí, HSE, Rape Crisis Centres and local domestic abuse shelters. This workshop was very insightful and valuable to service providers working on the ground to provide support to victims of sexual violence. We hope that Ms Lodrick may be able to return for further training in the MidWest region in the near future. We will hold an information seminar on Human Trafficking and Migrant Prostitution in Limerick on Wednesday 22 nd May. This seminar will include a joint presentation by Anti-Trafficking Officer, Patricia Stapleton and Legal Officer, Okeremute O. Okeregha. This will be followed by a Question and Answer session. This seminar will outline the services of the anti-trafficking office and the legal office and the services available for victims or potential victims of trafficking in Limerick and Mid-West region. The following issues will be addressed: Human trafficking for sexual exploitation; Prostitution in Limerick; Discrimination and barriers to services; Rights and entitlements of those affected; Service provision in Limerick. The seminar is aimed at all those involved in service delivery to migrant groups including statutory service providers, migrant groups, migrant leaders, interfaith groups and health professionals. Contact Anti- Trafficking Officer, Patricia Stapleton on or p.stapleton@dorasluimni.org for more information. Please note that registration is necessary due to limited space: RSVP by Friday 10 th May.

8 LCEN Presentation Other Doras Projects We delivered a presentation on our work to our partners in the Limerick Community Education Network (LCEN). LCEN works in partnership with Limerick City Adult Education Services (LCAES) to provide quality educational opportunities in community settings in Limerick City. They meet every six weeks at the offices of the Local Employment Services to monitor the delivery of Adult Education in the community. This year, each organisation has been invited to give a short presentation on the education projects they offer. We provided information on the range of services we deliver including English Classes and training on integration and migrant rights. The presentation resulted in a good discussion on the level of awareness on issues relating to migrants. Many of the groups represented on the LCEN agreed to followup by participating in further training to improve their awareness and skills. New English and Computer Classes Due to demand, a new English Reading Group has been formed for those with intermediate or higher levels of English. This group is being facilitated by one of our ESOL tutors and will meet from 12pm to 1pm on Mondays until end of May. Further inquiries to Helen O Grady on h.ogrady@dorasluimni.org or A new 10 week Beginner Computer Classes commenced on 17 th April and is held at Limerick Resource Centre for the Unemployed, Hunt s Lane, Dominick Street. Women s Development Group The Women s Development Group is a group for migrant women living in the Limerick area. The current group of 10 participants have gotten to know each other over the 3 month duration of the course. Through the group they have widened their social circle, learned about other people s experiences and cultures, while improving their communication skills. The group has also provided opportunities for exploring a range of activities and developing skills, such as flower arrangement, stress management, and drama. Over the last few weeks we have noted significant improvement in communication skills amongst participants. We have received feedback from members that the group is an outlet for communication and creativity, a place where they can express themselves in a safe setting. As members of the group have developed relationships of trust with each other and the facilitators, they have become increasingly comfortable and willing to participate and learn through interaction with others. This round of the Women s Development Group draws to a close in the first week of May. We wish all the best to the participants in future. Ordination of new Bishop of Limerick We were delighted to be invited to the ordination of Fr. Brendan Leahy as the new Bishop of Limerick on Sunday 14 th April. The ceremony at St. John s Cathedral was attended by representatives of 200 local community and sporting groups, representatives of migrant groups and the Traveller community, religious leaders from Christian, Muslim and other faiths, and members of the Mid-West Interfaith Network. We look forward to working with Bishop Leahy on issues of integration and social inclusion. Community Focus: Life in Direct Provision HADIQ My name is Hadiq. I am from Afghanistan. I have been an asylum seeker here in Ireland for the last two years. I wish to express my feelings on the hardships and difficulties that we in the asylum system experience every day. I don t feel that our asylum cases have been dealt with and assessed as fairly and

9 thoroughly as possible. The Department of Justice constantly makes it difficult for us to access the few rights and entitlements that we have as asylum seekers. Firstly, the system of Direct Provision is simply not suitable for those who want to live the normal life that any human being is entitled to. There are many reasons for this. For example, you have very little freedom and choice to do what you want while living in Direct Provision accommodation. You must eat whatever is served to you and there are strict rules governing almost every aspect of my life. You are not allowed to work or pursue a higher education. I would love the opportunity to continue my education here in Ireland but unfortunately I am unable due to my asylum status. In Direct Provision accommodation, you must share a room with people from various backgrounds, cultures and religious beliefs and there is very little private space. Every week, I am given to live on. Luxuries like cigarettes or trips to visit friends are not an option. In addition, we are not allowed to bring friends from outside into the accommodation centres, further adding to isolation, loneliness and frustration. Being kept in this kind of environment for several years is similar to being in a prison. We feel trapped and all we want is the freedom and rights to enjoy life like any person. I ask that all the people of Ireland imagine for a moment that they were living in this kind of environment with their family. Do you think you could accept this kind of situation? I kindly ask the Irish Government to consider these facts and to replace the system of Direct Provision in Ireland. All we ask for is the freedom to enjoy our rights as a normal human being, not be treated like prisoners. ANNA My name is Anna. I am originally from Ghana and after spending 1 year in the Direct Provision system, I was granted refugee status. I was happy and proud to become an Irish Citizen after nine years. I first came to Ireland in July 2003 as an asylum seeker and I spent some time being transferred between Direct Provision accommodation centres after I arrived. I was pregnant at the time. I am extremely grateful to Ireland, its people and its government for everything they have done to help my family and me and for giving us their very best hospitality and safety. However, I believe there are many problems with the Direct Provision system and I think it should be changed for everyone s benefit. I was incredibly lucky to have spent only 1 year living in the system. I lived in a tiny single room throughout my pregnancy. After delivery, I had to share a single bed with my baby. There was very little personal space and there were two bathrooms that were shared between 24 people in each apartment. The rules are incredibly strict and there is very little personal freedom. I believe the situation is especially worrying for children. People who live in the hostels come from all sorts of backgrounds, some of whom have serious mental problems and traumas for which they have not received adequate attention. Some of these people smoke, drink and act in an anti-social way that is not suitable for young children to be around. The main problem with Direct Provision is the length of time that people spend in it without knowing their fate. Like I said before, I was very lucky because I only spent 1 year in the system and after that I could find employment and a house of my choice. However, I know some people who have spent between 2 8 years in accommodation and some who are still there. Centres with young children and those who have been separated from their families with no hope when they will have freedom and be re-united with their loved ones. The asylum process is very long and very inefficient. The restrictive environment adds to the distress of people who are already extremely traumatized or depressed. All we ask is that people are granted the basic rights to work and the freedom to enjoy such luxuries as employment and further education while they are waiting in the asylum process. Also, we would ask that the length of time people spend in this system be reduced. One year in such a system is difficult enough; I cannot imagine how people can stay in it for up to 10 years. People have the right to know their fate. Asylum seekers in Ireland don t know how long they will remain in the system, when they will be granted freedom. Some people even get deported without any notice. We ask the government to think about our experiences and replace the Direct Provision system, so that

10 people can finally get the fresh start in their lives that they deserve. If you do not wish to receive future e-bulletins from Doras Luimní please send an with the subject line unsubscribe to Siobhán Ní Chatháin, Doras Luimní Communications Officer at