24 Hour Camp-out for Manus and Nauru

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Beginning this Saturday May 17, we are completing a 24 hour camp-out to raise awareness of the hardships experienced by those seeking refuge in Australia. Our no-technology, no-furniture camp-out can only give us a small insight into the daily lives of refugees on Manus Island and Nauru.

Refugees arriving to Australia...

A refugee is recognised as a person fleeing their country “due to a well-founded fear of persecution because of his or her race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.”[17]

Contrary to popular belief, Australia does not receive many refugees. Developing countries are currently hosting over 80% of the world’s refugees,[18][19] even as they struggle to provide adequate living conditions for their own populations. Meanwhile, the world’s wealthiest nations, most significantly Australia, are going to extreme lengths to stop refugees from entering.[20]

Living conditions on Manus Island and Nauru...

Seeking asylum by boat is not against the law.[21] Article 31 of the Refugee Convention, of which Australia is a party, states that refugees should not be penalised for arriving without a valid visa,[22] due to the difficulty and danger in obtaining such documents. However, the Australian Government sends refugees arriving by boat to the Manus Island and Nauru detention centres,[23] forcing them to live under horrific conditions with the aim to have them return to their home countries.[24] As these people have fled war and violence, they are rightfully reluctant to return and must suffer the treatment they receive on the islands. Men, women and children[25] are “imprisoned like hardened criminals,”[26] living in extremely dangerous conditions detrimental to their physical and psychological health.[27]

As of 30^th April 2018, 3,127 people have been sent to Manus Island and Nauru[28] – Nauru being the size of Melbourne Airport.[29] Currently, 1,965 people are detained,[30] including 158 minors.[31] Almost all have reported frequent abuse, sexual harassment, neglect, and poor medical care.[32] Refugees are housed in cramped tents with no privacy, electricity, or fresh water and inadequate food rations. [33] With humidity between 75 to 90 percent, mould grows quickly on tent walls and provides no relief from the heat or protection from flooding.[34][35] Around 500 of these highly vulnerable people have spent over 700 days living in these conditions[36] with no idea as to when they will be free – “like a prison sentence that has no end.”[37]
Manus Island and Nauru costs Australia hundreds of millions of dollars per year to “deliberately inflict suffering on people seeking safety and freedom.”[38] The detention centres have reported high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety,[39] with many attempting suicide, including a nine-year-old boy.[40]

Gifts for Manus and Nauru...

The funds we raise from this challenge will go towards the non-profit organisation 'Gifts for Manus and Nauru', which sends parcels of much needed items to the refugees (clothes, shoes, medical items, educational/entertainment items).

Learn more about the organisation here: https://giftsformanusandnauru.org.au/

Thank you for your generosity - all contributions are greatly appreciated!
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