Australia has just guaranteed that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) refugees, who arrive by boat, will be sent to Papua New Guinea – where being gay could get you 14 years in jail.Australia is one of the few countries in the region that openly accepts LGBT people. It has always been a safe haven for refugees fleeing persecution. Now, only weeks out from an election, the government has thrown together this controversial policy in the hope of winning votes. Worse yet, the opposition party are proposing an even more extreme policy. The policy has already begun to backfire, with Australians taking to the streets in protest and former Prime Ministers publicly denouncing the move. Local outrage has all parties contesting the election scrambling to respond. Will you join the call for Australia to drop its dangerous new policy that denies hope and safety to those who they need it most? www.allout.org/australian-home In Papua New Guinea, it’s a crime to be gay. Because of that, any person seeking asylum there can automatically be turned away. Every LGBT person who arrives by boat will have little choice but to lie about who they are to avoid being sent home. With their reputation under attack, Australia’s leaders could be pushed to stop violating the Geneva Conventions and protect the most vulnerable. Sign this petition and tell Australia that you won’t stand for this: www.allout.org/australian-home The full policy states that all people arriving by boat to seek asylum will be relocated to Papua New Guinea where their refugee claims will be assessed, and only then allowed to settle in the community. Legal experts have already denounced the plan for breaching international law. It is singling out people on boats for taking the last resort available to them. Hiding on a leaky boat, crossing some of the world’s most dangerous oceans, is the most difficult way to reach such an isolated country. No one would take such a risky boat journey if their very lives weren’t on the line. Will you sign the petition against the Australian government’s plan to force people back into danger? www.allout.org/australian- All Out’s first ever campaign successfully halted the deportation of Ugandan lesbian Brenda Namagadde from the UK back to her home country. Since then, we’ve become a powerful movement of over 1.7 million people fighting anti-gay laws around the world. Take a stand against Australia’s unfair targeting of asylum seekers – sign the petition: www.allout.org/australian-home Thanks for going All Out. Andre, Hayley, Jeremy, Marie, Marie-Marguerite, Sara, and the rest of the All Out team. SOURCES: UN refugee agency raises more concerns over Labor’s PNG solution – The Guardian, 26 July 2013 www.theguardian.com/world/ Rudd plan in tatters as camps labelled ‘gulags’ – Sydney Morning Herald, 25 July 2013 www.smh.com.au/federal- Coalition wants military led campaign against people smugglers – ABC, 25 July 2013 www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07- How to break the people smugglers real business model – Inside Story, 25 July 2013 www.inside.org.au/how-to- More than a legal issue, PNG plan challenges core principles – Sydney Morning Herald, 23 July 2013 www.smh.com.au/comment/more- |
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