[IMC-Editorial] (no subject)

[Belinda Dow]

PRESS RELEASE
Rural Australians for Refugees
Kids kindness to Kids at Christmas

Lismore Area Rural Australians for Refugees' youngest members, Harlan 
and Ariel (with some help from Harlen's mother Robyn) are organising 
christmas presents for children in detention. The Australian Refugee 
Children's Hamper Project aims to send Christmas presents to refugee 
children in detention centres this Christmas. There are approximately 
144 children in Australia's detention camps, including nine who were 
unaccompanied (May 2002). Children unaccompanied by parents are 
routinely kept in detention. A further 125 children are detained at 
Manus Island and 238 at Nauru.

Imagine your own child, confined behind razor wire and electric 
fences, arbitrarily separated from playmates at the whim of guards, 
witnessing parents rapidly losing hope of release, witnessing both 
adults and children in deep depression and eventually succumbing to 
depression themselves. 

The distraction of a new toy is only a small thing, compared to what 
they really want for Christmas - the freedom to grow up normally like 
the rest of Australian children.  But the gift of toys is something 
important that we can do  - right now.

We would like to buy "Walkman" radio/cd players for the teenagers and 
collect lots of books, games, CDs,  Sony games, music cassettes and 
educational aids, such as "read along" cassette books for the younger 
ones.

We are aiming to collect enough presents for the 25 children
children in the Baxter Detention Centre in South Australia, where the 
children are most needy.  If we receive sufficient presents we will 
send presents to children in other centres.

The treatment of children in Australian Detention Centres has been 
condemned by the United Nations and by Amnesty International.  There 
are stories going around that the asylum seekers are being treated 
'too well'.  This is simply not true.  Only the most basic needs are 
met, and the need for proper medication is not met fully.  More 
importantly, the children in Baxter are being denied access to 
adequate education.

Learning to read and speak English would help these children very 
much.  If you would like to be a pen-friend with a child in 
detention, please contact us.

If you would like to donate money to buy "Walkman" players, please go 
to Chandler's Lismore Store, in Woodlark St and pay part of the 
lay-by we have there, or simply put some money in one of the donation 
tins at Chandlers Lismore;  Pirlos Fruit Barn, Union St, South 
Lismore; or the Lismore Neighbourhood Centre, Mackenzie Street 
(opposite Lismore Shopping Square).

If you would like to donate toys, games, books etc., you can drop 
them at the Lismore Neighbourhood or at Pirlo's Fruit Barn.

We can also arrange collection of donations from schools. 

If you would like to help in any other way, or get further 
information, please contact arch5 at hotkey.net.au or call 66227473.

This project is being assisted by the Lismore Area Rural Australians 
for Refugees, the Refugee Council of Australia, Chandler's Lismore, 
Pirlo's Fruit Barn and Lismore Neighbourhood Centre.

END PRESS RELEASE
For further information please contact Robyn Youngs on 66227473.
Robyn can organise a photo shoot with Ariel and Harlan, who are 12 
and 10 years old respectively.

-- 
Sent by: Belinda Dow on behalf of Rural Australians for Refugees Lismore

phone: 6620 3271 w  66226261 h
email: bdow at scu.edu.au
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