By GetUp!
A life of constant fear and violence. Your own brother kidnapped and held ransom. A father makes a heart-wrenching decision to save his son and a young teenager makes a dangerous journey with only one goal: to live.
Most of us can't imagine such a life, but this is Riz Wakil's story. He's one of a small number of men, women and children who come to Australia seeking our help. Isolated in detention centres, they've been kept out of sight and off our conscience; their voices never heard, their stories never shared.
Now Riz has come forward to share his story in a powerful video, and it is up to us to help him get it on TV screens across the country.
www.getup.org.au/campaign/TheHumanFace
Last week Kevin Rudd stopped processing refugees from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. This week he re-opened Curtin detention centre - a place former detainees, like Riz, remember as "hell" and members of the Howard government have called the "worst in Australia." 1
With Rudd and Abbott reading from the same playbook, the PM seems to think there's no resistance to his outrageous policies - and the Government is considering more of the same. If the Coalition won't be the voice of opposition, we must.
Please help share Riz's story, and chip in to air it on TV screens across the nation:
www.getup.org.au/campaign/TheHumanFace
With the Prime Minister and the Opposition both playing political games with refugees, it can feel like we have no chance of turning this around. But we can - and we have before.
In 2006, GetUp members helped stop the practice of locking up children in detention. GetUp members aired videos featuring personal stories, mobilised over 100,000 Australians against the bill, and sky-wrote our "vote no" message above Parliament House. Against all odds, Senators defied their political parties, and with our message still fading in the sky above, John Howard withdrew the legislation.
With confidence that we're right, and knowledge that we are many, we can do it again. It starts with this video: a reminder that this isn't about numbers but about people - people like Riz and his family. Please help share his story:
www.getup.org.au/campaign/TheHumanFace
The truth is, we live in a nation where the Australian people do decide who comes to this country and the manner in which they come. The only question is whether that decision is tempered with humanity and compassion. With your help, we can and will turn this debate around.
Thanks for being a part of this movement,
The GetUp Team
PS. In another step backwards for human rights, the Rudd government yesterday declined to adopt a Human Rights Act, leaving Australia as the only western democracy in the world that has failed to formally protect its citizens' rights. If the Government won't be the leading voice on human rights, then it falls to us. Watch this video message from Riz - an Afghan refugee, small business owner, father, and proud Australian - and help stand up for compassion and humanity.
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1 http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/19/2876159.htm
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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now!
Authorised by Simon Sheikh, Level 5, 116 Kippax St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
