15 Henley Rd
(PO Box 2219)
Homebush West,
NSW 2140
AUSTRALIA
Ph: (02) 8762 4200
Fx: (02) 8762 4220
Int'l Ph: +61 2 8762 4200
Int'l Fx: +61 2 8762 4220
Email: erc@erc.org.au
Located just 100 metres to the south of Flemington Railway Station. Link to new location on Google Maps
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Investigation into the fate of deported people
Reports of death, disappearance, imprisonment and torture, of fear-filled lives spent in hiding, privation and despair have filtered back to Australia about some people Australia has removed after disallowing their claims for protection on refugee or humanitarian grounds.
Disquiet about this situation was expressed to the 2000 Senate Committee by bodies such as HREOC (Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission), Amnesty International, the Australian Refugee Council and various legal aid and trauma treatment organisations.
In 2002 a coalition of religious groups, COPAS, including leaders from the major Christian denominations, Jewish, Moslem and Buddhist groups, petitioned the Federal Government to heed the reports of terrible things happening to some deportees and cease sending people to countries where protection of their safety and rights is very problematic. The study reported here was designed to clarify the situation behind this widespread disquiet.
Following significant disquiet expressed by a range of organisations at a 2000 Senate Inquiry, the Edmund Rice Centre's Phil Glendenning, along with Sr Carmel Leavey, Mrs Margaret Hetherton and Dr Tony Morris from the Australian Catholic University commenced an investigation into the fate of asylum seekers deported from Australia.
The results have been disturbing with evidence of false documentation and asylum seekers left in unsafe environments, often outside the law of the country they are returned to.
The information uncovered by this research has led to the publication of several reports; submissions and testimony given to Federal parliamentary enquiries; public meetings; investigations by Federal police into allegations of illegal actions by immigration officials; extensive media coverage; and most recently production of a documentary film.
Latest News: (1) Climate change summit: ERC & PCP in Copenhagen (2) New Just Comment published: No More Torture (3) Ongoing: Support ERC´s Deportations Research
Copenhagen, 7 - 18 Dec 2009
Lilla International Women's Network Read more
ERC staff are part of the Pacific Calling Partnership (PCP) group visiting Kiribati, 7th to 16th Oct 2009, in preparation for the joint Australia-Kiribati PCP delegation in December to the UN's Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change.
PCP wants voices from low-lying Pacific Island communities to be heard because it is these people that are already facing the consequences of climate change through sea-encroachment into their communities. Further details
The next informal discussion gathering of ATftF will focus further on the lead up the Copenhagen UNFCCC Summit to be held in December. All welcome: 2pm to 4pm, Tues 27th Oct at ERC's library. Further details
In association with the support of short-term women interns in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, the Lilla Women's Network is celebrating the launch of a directory of services in Chiapas that provide services to women.
The directory (in Spanish) can be viewed on the Lilla website.
ERC continues liaison with the Dept of Immigration in regard to the reopening of the cases of those asylum seekers who Australia sent back into situations of danger.
Interest remains strong within the community from those concerned with Australia's dismal track record of recent years in our treatment of asylum seekers.
There is a strong and continued stream of expressions of support for the case presented by ERC in the documentary A Well Founded Fear. We have received a number of representations calling for SBS TV to rebroadcast the programme. ERC will liaise with the documentary's producers and with SBS in this regard.
Sign petition to Minister of Immigration to reopen cases of those deported to danger.
ERC's success in mounting a coherent argument for the reopening of the cases of those asylum seekers that Australia has deported to danger, has been based on rigorous research in situ in the countries to which these people were returned.
Such work has high levels of risk for our researchers and for the deportees. We are committed to accompanying these vulnerable people to achieve safety. In many cases their treatment by Australia has placed them at greater risk than when they were first forced to flea their place of origin.
The results of this research conducted by ERC Director Phil Glendenning and colleagues has been published in two reports: Deported to Danger. Information about the research and copies of the reports are available here.
The unique nature of this human rights research work means that it does not qualify for most sources of funding from agencies. The work can therefore only be continued through your support. To donate please go to our donations page.
Donations for this ERC work are tax deductible!
ERC is concerned for the ongoing situation of the civilian population of northern Sri Lanka effected by the armed conflict that has caused dramatically increased consequences for the people over the past twelve months.
The Sri Lankan Government's narrow focus on armed enforcement appears to carry no concern to the underlying causes of the conflict. There is little attention being paid to the calls for equity from the Tamil minority and for protection from persecution and discrimination at the hands of the Buddhist Sinhalese majority.
ERC condemns the violence and terror of the LTTE Tamil Tigers, but also laments the repression of the Tamil population.
The refusal of the Sri Lankan Government to allow respected international aid and media organisations open access to the conflict areas and to the concentration camps of Tamils displaced by the violence, serves only to lend validity to the reports that violent repression and state terror are being by perpetrated upon the Tamil population by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. More information.
