In the English Province: Ring of Fire November 2007, the
material has been taken from the province’s newsletter from October, and begins
by recalling an entry in the July Issue, tentatively seeking for a focus for
our province JPIC ministry.
“Our contacts with the Medaille Trust and with Chaste,
together with our work with refugees and our mission in Albania, are surely an expression of our own common desire to help
in the removal of this (trafficking) corruption. Focusing our concern, prayer
and whatever action we are able to offer, together, gives a heart to our
ministry which can be developed through our educational thrust. Helping others,
especially young people, to value human beings, including themselves, as
precious and unique, not objects to be bought and sold, must surely be a work
for good. To form a generation who value goodness and compassion and lack of
greed and envy, and courage to stand for such values, may bring our world back
to its senses, a place to enjoy and love.”
The
Medaille Trust and CHASTE are organisations helping trafficked women and
children in UK. After the October
newletter had been sent out we received reports from Imelda Poole of conferences on trafficking related issues which she
has recently attended.
At the recent Province
Meeting with the Generalate visitation team, one group was unanimous in
recognising that what keeps us together is not what we do, but that we all
believe that God has called us to this particular Body, IBVM(Loreto),
experienced for us at this moment as “English Province”. In the context of JPIC we might express it
this way:
We need, in this 21st Century, to reclaim
ourselves as “Body” a Body imbued with the spirituality of the Ignatian
Exercises and of Mary Ward.
Whatever we “do”
as individuals, together we have a common call to help our world become what
God created it to be through the means he puts in our way today.
We need to believe in our common mission, and
that we are each, together, part of it. Separated and broken apart, this
mission can never be accomplished aright.
Eileen O’Doherty sent information about the position of failed asylum seekers in the Greater Manchester area. She has first
hand experience of their problems. Many assume that these problems are not
experience in this country, but hear the reality.
Did you know that there are at least 1000 destitute refused
asylum-seekers in Greater Manchester. They have no recourse to
public funds, including jobseekers allowance and housing benefit, and are not
allowed to work. Many are supported by their own communities, but these are
some of the poorest in Greater Manchester. Over 300 food parcels are given out
weekly by voluntary and faith groups, but this does not meet the need. People
end up sleeping rough and are drawn into illegal and unsafe work, prostitution
and begging.
Destitution is a
government policy. It seems hard
to believe, but the hope is that if an asylum seeker becomes destitute they
will return to their country of origin. To avoid destitution they have to sign
for a type of State support known as Section 4, but to obtain this they must
first sign up to return voluntarily, something many cannot do because they fear
they would risk further persecution. They are in an impossible “chicken and
egg” situation.
According to Refugee Action in Greater Manchester, destitution is an unworkable policy
that is causing enormous suffering to vulnerable people and has completely
failed to deliver on its objectives…..A humane solution must be found for
refused asylum seekers that can allow them to begin to rebuild their lives and
regain some sense of dignity and purpose.
You can find more information on www.refugee-action.org.uk but a
real life story will illustrate the asylum seeker’s difficulties.
Ibrahim*, from Darfur,
was sacked from his teaching job for encouraging the students to stand up for
their rights. In 2003, he was arrested three times. On the third occasion he
was caught with a camera and was accused of working for outside agents. In
custody he was hung upside down and beaten on the soles of his feet as he was
questioned.
Ten days later, he was
transferred from jail through the jungle to another prison. However, on
the way
there was an accident and Ibrahim escaped through Chad and into Libya.
As those countries had return agreements back to Sudan, he was afraid
to stay in them.
An agent arranged for him to
travel by ship and lorry to the UK and he was dropped off near to Piccadilly station where an
African man helped him with food.
At his first interview the
interpreter spoke Arabic in a Middle Eastern dialect instead of the language of
Darfur. He said, ‘I also felt there were misunderstandings of
culture and how things happen in Africa. I could not find a solicitor and so I did my own appeal
and was refused. It also failed when the judge said mine was a political case
not humanitarian.
Ibrahim was destitute for six
months, living on food from the Red Cross and sleeping on floors or at
Piccadilly train station. He said, ”In our culture if you are in need of asking
for help it is shameful. I would sneak away from the Red Cross with my food
parcel in a Tesco bag. I feel this government is hypocritical about Darfur.
Destitute Darfurians are the same as the people in the refugee camps, begging
for food.”
Ibrahim eventually found a
new solicitor who informed him that Home Office legislation ruled that all
people of his tribe who are from Darfur should gain protection. He was granted refugee status in
2006. *name changed
Most of the asylum seekers interviewed in Greater
Manchester were afraid to go home, and believed they would be in danger if they
did so, but hoped in time they would
be able to return. Meantime they were resigned to staying in the UK even if they had no status or means of supporting
themselves. For many there was no safe or viable route back and often the
relevant embassy is unable or unwilling to issue a travel document.
60% of those interviewed had slept on the street at least
once, and 30% had done so frequently for a long time. 1 in 10 were homeless and
slept in tents, back gardens, cars, garages, bus and train stations and public
parks. Most were highly dependent on friends from their own community,
including other asylum seekers and refugees, for providing floor, sofa or
mattress to sleep on. Several told of being physically attacked and verbally
abused whilst sleeping rough, and were afraid to approach police in case they
were detained. Most were dependant
on donated food and clothing to survive. For many, the rough sleeping, fear of
harassment, poor rest and food resulted in health deterioration and permanent
depression, distress and anxiety, many having considered taking their own
lives.
The final extract from October’s newsletter is concerned
with the Schools’ JPIC group, the
Minutes of their latest meeting having been sent in by Kath Keigher.
Schools JPIC
Meeting
Cath Cainen led us in a
beautiful prayer centred on the values of Mary Ward.
- We began with the Reports from
the schools. Already, although we have only been back for six weeks there
is a lot of activity and practical work being undertaken through Justice
and Peace. In St Albans the general RE programme includes Justice and
Peace.
- Cath Cainen spoke of her
experiences with students in India and this led us to discuss the issue of
GAP year students and Mary Ward International.
- Sandra informed us that
Australia seems to be leading the provinces in this area. Amongst the
things discussed was the need for information from the community to which
the students are sent both before and after the experience. We were
reminded also of the importance of preparation and de briefing.
- Khera spoke about World Youth
Day. We have 30 students travelling to Sydney from our schools under the
banner of Loreto UK
- MDG’s: Beatrice suggested that
we follow up some of the MDG’s and that the issue of Trafficking, in its
many forms, should be a priority. Martine had some very useful handouts
and Web site addresses in order to access information easily. We all
agreed that we should give more attention to the issue of Trafficking and
the exploitation of the most vulnerable in our society.
- Beatrice stressed the
importance of lobbying.
- JPIC Handbook: we agreed that
we need to spend more time looking at ways in which we might use the
handbook as a practical tool for action.
- Earth Charter: Beatrice will send out information re
Climate Change
- Martine introduced the question
of the calendar which we had discussed at a previous meeting. She had
brought an example and we agreed to make this a priority at our next
meeting. We were also reminded to have a greater awareness of
International Days. Sandra suggested that we put something on the website
about the calendar so that everyone is not doing the same thing.
Kath also mentioned that she would like to produce a booklet at
the end of the year on JPIC in our schools, and has asked the group to collect
bits and pieces of information, plus pictures, to help with this project.
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