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Hello everyone,

http://www.chilout.org/

ChilOut is an Australian advocacy group that campaigns for the release of children from immigrant detention. It's unthinkable to believe that children are still being locked in detention (many are locked up for years) and yet it is still happening now.


There are now at least 628 children in detention sincee September 2010.

The Gillard government has announced that they'll be moving more children into the community. This is a huge step. However, there are still many children that are locked up in 'alternative accommodation'. In immigrant  residential housing children are monitored by CCTV, and accompanied by a security guard on the rare occasions that they can leave. Few refugee children can attend school, and excursions are rare. Housing tends to be cramped, and 150 Afghan boys haven't been released from Darwin Lodge since April 2010.

Read the Myths Vs the Facts here: http://www.chilout.org/index.php?p=1_10

You can also read the stories that these children have to say. It is simply heartbreaking and appalling: http://www.chilout.org/index.php?p=1_17 Many of these children have seen hunger strikes, fires and riots, in which tear gas and water cannons were used. There are refugee children who have been diagnsed with PTSD. They've fled from conflict, war and persecution - and their experiences in detention only worsen their distress.  
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Hi everyone,

Please consider spreading the word about LiNK, donating or joining them. LiNK helps rescue North Korean refugees fleeing torture and trauma. It doesn't depend on government funding or on political parties. It relies on private donations, which makes them independent and enables them in forming impartial recommendations. Thank you so much.

From the website http://linkglobal.org/who-we-are/faq.html :

LiNK is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that is supported solely by private donors. Our work entails aiding and protecting North Korean refugees in the underground, advocating on their behalf and for the North Korean crisis in general, providing assistance upon resettlement in countries that will provide them with asylum, and raising awareness through creative media (such as videos) and mobilizing the grassroots through official LiNK chapters.

Estimates of up to 300,000 refugees have fled to neighboring China and are hiding in the underground. These refugees risk torture and execution if captured and repatriated to North Korea. In violation of the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, China repatriates all North Koreans who have illegally crossed the border.

Women and Children: North Korean refugees in China, particularly women and children, face serious exploitation and sex trafficking. Over 80% of North Korean refugees are victims of human trafficking in China. Within North Korea, children are routinely forced into child labor, and are subject to extremely abusive or dangerous situations.

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Hi everyone,

See this:

http://www.safecom.org.au/refugees1.htm

Get the real lowdown (facts) on refugees.

As outlined in Fact Sheet No 2, refugees are people who have been forced to leave their countries because they have been persecuted.

Rarely do refugees have the chance to make plans for their departure: to pack their belongings, to say farewell to their friends and families ... Some refugees have to flee with no notice, taking with them only the clothes on their backs.

Others, like the family that pretends to be going on a weekend break, have to keep their plans a secret from all around them in case they are discovered.

A significant proportion of refugees have experienced severe trauma. Many have been tortured. Arrivals to Australia have included survivors of the Balkan internment centres and "rape camps" and prisoners of war from the Gulf War.

Migrants
Migrants make a conscious choice to come to Australia. They are able to read about the country and learn about it from friends and families. They have time to study the language and explore employment opportunities before they make a final decision about whether to come.

One of the most significant differences is that migrants are able to pack their precious belongings and say good-bye to the important people in their lives.

Another very important distinction is that migrants can go home at any time if things do not work out as they had hoped or if they get homesick. They can also pick up a phone and talk to friends and relatives. Most refugees cannot.


People use words throw words like refugee and migrant interchangeably, and yet there is a world of difference between these two words. Words have power, and you can either misuse that power by misunderstanding them. Or you can use them well, by learning what they truly mean.
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Hi there all,

Check this out (following text is from the From MoveOn website):

CNN host Lou Dobbs has done more than anyone in the media to spread misinformation and hatred about Latinos. Yet CNN continues to broadcast his show, even as they are courting Latino viewers. It's time for that to end.


Join us in telling CNN it's time for Dobbs to go.
As President of CNN, it is imperative that you act quickly and decisively to drop Dobbs from your network, and send the message that CNN does not tolerate hate speech.


http://bastadobbs.com/action/org/moveon/

From MoveOn email:

Dobbs perpetuates damaging stereotypes about immigrants—like blaming them for an imaginary leprosy epidemic, and wildly exaggerating that "illegal aliens" make up a third of the prison population. He also gives ample time to anti-immigrant extremists, even appearing last month as an honored guest at the convention of FAIR, a leading anti-immigrant hate group linked to vigilantes charged with murdering a 9-year old girl and her immigrant father in their home.

Add your voice and tell CNN that hate speech won't be tolerated. Thank you.

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