Support Operation #NotForgotten this International Human Rights Day
MOSAIC is working alongside Canada Caring to provide new opportunities and safety for refugees and asylum seekers indefinitely detained off the coast of Australia. With access to critical medical services being cut for these individuals, time is of the essence. You can help save lives.
Since 2013 Australia has been detaining refugees and asylum seekers who arrive by sea, on neighboring Manus Island (Papua New Guinea) and Nauru.
The UN Human Rights Council condemns this practice as arbitrary and illegal, yet approximately 466 people remain offshore (258 in Nauru PNG, and 208 in Manus), some for as long as nine years without charge.
On Wednesday Dec 4th, Australian lawmakers voted to revoke the Medevac Bill. This will strip sick refugees held in offshore detention from the opportunity to access urgent medical treatment through evacuation to Australia.
Denying access to medical care is a breach of basic human rights and this decision further compromises their safety and welfare. According to Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, prior to Medevac, sick refugees were waiting an average of two to three years (in some cases up to five) for medical transfers to Australia, lamenting in the meantime due to grossly inadequate medical services available offshore.
The repeal of this legislation will further compromise the wellbeing and safety of people in offshore detention, taking a toll on the physical and mental well-being of already sick refugees and asylum seekers. 12 people have died in these offshore detention centers over the past 5 years, with many of these deaths relating to treatable illnesses and the effects of prolonged detention.
We at MOSAIC and Canada Caring see that we must do everything possible to support these individuals, which is why we are proud partnering to spearhead Operation #NotForgotten, a campaign to provide safe resettlement for hundreds of desperate refugees detained on Manus and Nauru.
We are motivated to support these individuals through resettlement to a safe country where they can build a life and a future. We are working towards to goal of raising enough funds to sponsor 300 individuals and their families which will cost approximately $4 million CAD. Preparation of our first 60 applications is already underway, to be completed before the end of December 2019.
As we celebrate Human Rights Day and the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10th, we invite you to support this important initiative to restore human rights to these people who are #notforgotten.
Donate Today
▸ For more information
www.mosaicbc.org/services/settlement/refugees/onf/
www.mosaicbc.org/news/canada-caring-society-and-mosaic-launch-campaign-to-sponsor-forgotten-refugees-on-manus-and-nauru/
▸ Contact
Iris Challoner at onf@mosaicbc.org
