DEAR MR ABBOTT- Let me tell you about humanity

DEAR 

MR ABBOTT|

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT HUMANITY

WRITING | RACHEL BLACKBURN

On Tuesday evening, October 27, 2015, Tony Abbott (the 28th Prime Minister of Australia) delivered a speech in London, choosing to take this opportunity to discuss the LARGEST refugee crisis since World War II. Don’t get too excited- he didn’t use the spotlight in the way you may have hoped. 

At present, there are 60 million people displaced- that means, there are 60 million people who have fled their homes, their cities, their schools, their jobs, their friends, their families- their LIFE. 60 million people. Can you envision that for a moment? I have spent the last nine days of my #tendaystotellme campaign writing about the atrocities that are occurring in nine countries around the world: Democratic Republic of Congo; Uganda; Malawi; India; Bangladesh; Syria; Rwanda; Central African Republic; Afghanistan. While not all people within these countries are fleeing or seeking refuge, they are living through hardship and are dealing with issues that require our attention. I have reached day 10 of the campaign, one I had intended to be discussing a country- though, I have instead, chosen to write an open letter to Mr Abbott- to talk to him about humanity.

Dear Mr Abbott, 

My name is Rachel Blackburn, I’m 26, a similar age to your daughters, in fact I taught at the school they attended. I’m from Sydney’s Northern Beaches- just like you. And I grew up in your electorate, Warringah. We are both Alumni of Sydney University. My Grandfather is a journalist, like you once were. But our similarities end there. I have chosen to spend the 10th and last day of my #tendaystotellme campaign to write an open letter to you. I hope it gets to you- as it seems you need me to #TELLYOUABOUTHUMANITY 

Mr Abbott, you are undoubtedly a man of great influence and it saddens me, with your ability to spread a message, you have chosen to spread the message of fear and panic. Isn’t it ironic, that as you delivered a speech about the worlds most vulnerable- you stood behind a podium, at a banquet in London to an audience of Tory ministers and Conservative Party members- in your black and white tux. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a black and white Tux, but Mr Abbott, I fear you are so far removed from the term humanity, you may not know what is actually at stake here? Our humanity- the humanity of the world, is at stake here. 

Mr Abbott, I know you understand the power of media and their ability to lift words and contextualise them in a way favourable to the story. While I was not a guest in the audience and I did not hear the tone of your voice, or the posture you held- I have read the transcript of your speech and whether you feel elements were taken out of ‘context’ or not- those words are in black and white and it has reached the masses. You mentioned the Syrian conflict, stating over a million have died and seven million are displaced- though you neglected to make a single statement about the devastation currently being felt by the 60 million displaced persons around the world. Given, you may have been time poor, however, prioritizing fear over possibility, I believe, is an error in judgment. In the past five years, at least 15 conflicts have erupted or reignited: eight in Africa (Côte d'Ivoire, Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, northeastern Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and this year in Burundi); three in the Middle East (Syria, Iraq, and Yemen); one in Europe (Ukraine) and three in Asia (Kyrgyzstan, and in several areas of Myanmar and Pakistan). You did outline the crimes against humanity occurring in Syria, though you did not take the opportunity to state that serious human rights abuses have been reported in five countries around the world: Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and Eritrea, all but Eritrea including violence due to armed conflict. At the last count, UNHCR reported that these abuses had driven almost 25 million people from their homes, including almost 12 million Syrians, 4.2 million Iraqis, 3.6 million Afghans, 2.2 million Somalis, and almost half a million Eritreans. 25 million is Australia’s entire population- displaced.

Mr Abbott, wars cost human lives. You have spoken about monetary costs and logistics. But the cost here is life. You have said, “It will require some force; it will require massive logistics and expense; it will gnaw at our consciences - yet it is the only way to prevent a tide of humanity surging through Europe and quite possibly changing it forever." A tide of humanity it certainly is, but why do you suggest we expend resources on stopping them? Why are we not expending resources on helping them? You’ve said they have “no legal right to come here” but many may argue WE had “no legal right” to go there and bomb their schools, their homes, their cities and to leave them open and vulnerable to inside attacks that are now shattering their existence. I am not naïve- I understand these problems are complex and vast to say the least and I don’t know what the solution is- but I do know it’s not turning away millions of humans to die. 

Mr Abbott, there is a stark difference between a refugee and an ‘economic immigrant’. I agree, they both exist, but the danger of using those terms interchangeably is detrimental to humanity. People are entitled to protection under international law if they fear a real risk of persecution or other serious harm in their home country. The argument often arises "let's help our own first”. I agree, there are many Australians in need, but refugees are fleeing war torn countries- they are fleeing, in so many instances, death. I think that's where people get confused. It's not that they're "poor" or "don't have jobs" it's that they're being slaughtered, raped and forced from their homes and cities- desperately seeking refuge. You have said, “All countries that say ‘anyone who gets here can stay here’ are now in peril- there are tens-perhaps hundreds- of millions of people, living in poverty and danger, who might readily seek to enter a Western country if the opportunity is there”. Mr Abbott, what message are you sending our children? In the position you are in, in the opportunity you’ve been given, why is instilling fear your choice? How can you assert “no country can open its boarders without fundamentally weakening itself”? Mr Abbott, it is as young as Kindergarten that we are taught the value of helping. The value of reaching out and stopping when someone is in need. Of giving- not taking. Of helping them- not stopping them. Yet, as the public figure you are, you make such damaging statements such as these? To insinuate that by helping, we are in some way risking our own way of life? 

Mr Abbott, where has your self-entitlement come from? When did being an Australian or part of the Western world lead us to believe we are in some way more entitled to freedom? More entitled to life? More entitled to oxygen? I am an Australian because I was born here- by chance- not by right. You are an Australian because you immigrated here- from opportunity- not by right. You have free will, because you are Australian- by chance- not by choice. You have freedom of speech, clean drinking water, shelter, protection, opportunity for employment, your family is safe and your daughters are educated- by chance of birthplace- not by choice. How can you deny life to so many? Their fate is no fault of their own- their life, their turmoil- is by chance- not by choice. 

Mr Abbott, have you seen the images surfacing from Syria, Somalia, Iraq? Do you see the people, who board the boats, holding their children, unsure of whether they will live or die? Have you seen the malnutrition suffered by over 25 million children? Have you seen the image of the young Syrian boy who flies a kite made from a box? Have you seen the video of the young girl begging for someone “to understand us”? Because Mr Abbott, I feel you have not. You state “it is our moral obligation to receive people fleeing for their lives- it is not to provide permanent residence to anyone who would rather live in a prosperous Western country than their own”.  Yesterday I played cricket in North Sydney with an eight-year-old. Isn’t it bizarre to know that there are children who have never done this? There are children who have never known anything other than conflict? This is not about a prosperous life, this is about the opportunity to have a life. The opportunity to play cricket. To play outdoors without being shot. Mr Abbott- people are fleeing for their lives- to save their children- their wives and husbands- they are running to a place they have never even seen- surely, you cannot believe this is about “a more prosperous life”- you MUST understand this is life or death. Privilege is invisible to those who have it and when you state  “The only way to stop people trying to gain entry is to firmly and unambiguously to deny it- out of the moral duty to protect one’s own people”, I believe you cannot see your own privilege. This is their fight for humanity but they cannot win this alone. 

Mr Abbott, what happens in Australia when you know a crime is happening or about to happen, yet you do nothing? You are charged as an accessory. How is this global crisis any different? We know what is happening, we know of the atrocities that are occurring each and every single minute. People are fighting, dying and starving- yet you expect us to do nothing? In fact- no, you expect us to do more than nothing, which is to turn them away to die. Is that not being an accessory to murder?

When did the value of a human life become dependent on place of birth? When did the value of human breath, become dependent on citizenship?  Mr Abbott, I urge you to see our fast changing world for what it is. We are humanity. This global village we live in, is humanity. It is people, with the aid of policies that will change the world. We must fight for humanity. Because this will be the single biggest devastation on the hands of humanity if we allow millions of people to die on our doorsteps. 

“It is sickening to see thousands of refugees drowning on the doorstep of the world's wealthiest continent. No one risks the lives of their children in this way except out of utter desperation”. - Angelina Jolie, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador on the recent drowning’s of the migrants fleeing to Europe

#DEARMRABBOTT

#TENDAYSTOTELLME 

#LETMETELLYOUABOUTHUMANITY

Afganistan

AFGANISTAN| 

40 YEARS OF WAR

Photo credit: Human Rights Watch

There are just over 31 million people living in Afghanistan and 40% of these are under the age of 14. For every 1, 000 births, 117 will die- that's 1 in 9. Life expectancy for a woman is 50- I would have lived half my life span already. Afghan women earn 25 cents or less for every dollar men earn and only 16 per cent of peace agreements in the last two decades have contained a reference to women and gender. “You can't be an active woman in Afghanistan and not feel threatened. It is part of my daily life. I never know what is going to happen next. In the last five years, many high profile Afghan women have been killed for trying to raise the profile of women or defend their human rights. I take one day at a time but try to work on issues that will have a lasting effect”. Shinkai Karokhail, 36 | Occupation: Member of the Afghan Parliament

Currently, in Afghanistan international interest has dissipated and most foreign troops are long gone, however the war there is only getting worse- even if we don’t see that on the television. The first six months of 2015 saw the highest number of casualties among women and children since the U.N. started keeping track in 2009. Those who are fleeing the country are doing so because of civil violence, insecurity, or threats from the Taliban or government militia forces. On the Human Rights Watch they spoke with an Afghan military officer, “The Syrians have gone through four years of brutal war, but for the Afghans it has been nearly 40 now,” he says, who fled Kabul after receiving death threats from the Taliban. “Why are we hearing ‘Syrians only, Syrians only,’ as people board the buses here at the border, while we are kept waiting in the hot sun?” Those fleeing conflict and violence are just as entitled to refugee status. Like many Syrian and Iraqi asylum seekers, many of the Afghans do have legitimate reasons to flee the conflict that has engulfed much of their country. They too deserve to be treated humanely, and offered safe and legal paths to have to their asylum claims fairly heard.

The journey for many Afghans is tough. They flee Afghanistan with just bus fare to the AfghanIran border, and walk most of the way to Europe, unable to pay for smugglers or bus rides. Ismail, a 15- year-old boy from Logar province, told the Human Rights Watch that he and his parents had walked for four weeks to cross Iran, and then had to cross the 15-foot-tall razor wire fence on the Bulgaria-Turkey border using ladders and blankets because they could not afford to pay the boat smugglers for the dangerous but short trip from Izmir to the Greek islands.

Recently, as the Human Rights Watch made it to talk to men and women who had fled by boat they spoke to this woman. “My life was very hard. I lost my husband by the Taliban. I have six children so I took the decision to leave Afghanistan. Now, I also lost my baby.” This is about all that she managed to say earlier this month on the Greek island of Lesbos. Three days earlier, a wave had swept her 11-month-old son out of her arms as she and her children crossed the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece. 

Are you feeling grateful? You should. Are you feeling guilty? You shouldn't. We cannot change where we are born. But we can change what happens when we are. You should continue to read, learn and educate yourself. Commit to it, because it is people who change the world.

#tendaystotellme #tellmeaboutAfganistan

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC|GIVE US PEACE.

Photo: Peter Biro/IRC

Have you heard of Central African Republic (CAR)? Did you know it is currently at war? I didn’t. So lets learn about it together.

Sine 2012, a mere 3 years ago, thousands of people have been killed and displaced due to civil war in CAR. And currently, 1.6 million Africans are struggling to survive. Lets stop for a moment. Envision Central African Republic, ranked number 3 of the poorest countries in the world. A country burdened with poverty, malnutrition, minimal access to health services, AIDS, crime and now- lets add war.

40% of the population is under the age of 14. In Australia 40% of the population is between 25-54. The median age in CAR is 19. Median age in Australia is 38. HIV/AIDS prevalence in CAR is 4.7%- its 0/1% in Australia. In conflict it is often men who leave to fight. It is men who are often killed. This leaves women alone and vulnerable, not only to support their families but also to protect them. Internally displaced persons’ (IDPs) camps, where many flee to for safety, are completely unprotected and armed persons move among them almost freely. To support their families, women carry water from wells and walk to collect firewood, often several kilometres away. They must find food and cook daily to provide for their families. This is the daily life of displaced Central African women today. Their country is at war- today. Most families share a tent with several others. They use whatever they can to gain some type of privacy, many building makeshift barriers from scraps they can find. It isn’t a safe place for women and girls to live. Boys grab girls in the tents at night, women won’t go to the toilet for fear of assault, every trip to collect firewood is dangerous in these times of conflict. However, each day, Central African women continue. They continue to fetch water, firewood and provide for their families. They find ways to minimize risk by traveling in groups, by using buckets for personal needs, by making improvised locks for the tents to discourage intruders. 

Without peace, without the end of civil conflict- ‘normal’ lives remain on hold. People do not go to work and children do not go to school. People cannot return home nor can they begin to rebuild their lives- start again- thrive. They are constantly under threat knowing that whatever they rebuild today can be taken away tomorrow. I wonder… are we, as a humanitarian community, complacent because these women remain resilient, or is it that we fail to listen to their voices as they explain what they need? 

Are you feeling grateful? You should. Are you feeling guilty? You shouldn't. We cannot change where we are born. But we can change what happens when we are. You should continue to read, learn and educate yourself. Commit to it, because it is people who change the world.

#tendaystotellme #tellmeaboutCentralAfricanRepublic

RWANDA

RWANDA|

HUMANITY SHOULD NOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN AGAIN.

May 1994 : Refugees cross the Rusumo border into Tanzania from Rwanda  Photo: Reuters

Many films have been made of atrocities throughout history. The Diary of Anne Frank, Shindlers list, Blood Diamond, Desert Flower, The Gardener, In The Land of Blood Honey. Often these films make our skin crawl, make us cry, cover our eyes and sometimes our ears and some may even turn off the television. Though for millions of people around the world- it was their life. Hotel Rwanda was the film that changed my life. It was the film that made my throat tight and my heart ache. People around the world had continued to live each day, many oblivious to what was happening, whilst over 800,000 people were brutally murdered. 

In 1994- 21 years ago, I was five years old and Rwanda’s population of seven million was composed of three ethnic groups: Hutu (approximately 85%), Tutsi (14%) and Twa (1%). Rwanda, a country in Africa, covers 26,338 km² and to put that in perspective, Tasmania is 90,000 km², NSW is  809,444 km² and Rwanda could be compared to the size of Maryland in the United states. It is sitting in the middle of Tanzania, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda- land locked. In the early 1990s, Hutu extremists within Rwanda’s political elite began to blame the ENTIRE Tutsi  population for the country’s increasing social, economic, and political pressures. These were not groups who lived separately and were divided- no. The Hutus and Tutsis lived side by side- they were husband and wife, school teachers and students, neighbours and friends. Living together as one family, one community. 

On April 6, 1994, a plane carrying President Habyarimana, a Hutu, was shot down. Immediately, fighting broke out.  Under the cover of war, Hutu extremists launched their plans to destroy the entire Tutsi civilian population. Political leaders who might have been able to take charge of the situation and other high profile opponents of the Hutu extremist plans were killed immediately. Imagine, 80% of high profile politicians in Australia, murdered? Tutsi and people suspected of being Tutsi were killed in their homes and as they tried to flee at roadblocks set up across the country during the genocide. In the weeks after April 6, 1994, 800,000 men, women, and children died in the Rwandan genocide, perhaps as many as three quarters of the Tutsi population. At the same time, thousands of Hutu were murdered because they opposed the killing campaign and the forces directing it. In response, more than 2 million people, nearly all Hutus, fled Rwanda, crowding into refugee camps in the Congo (then called Zaire) and other neighboring countries.Remembering, Rwanda is a land-locked country, no water or ocean to escape, only land that was blocked and guarded. Entire families were killed at a time. Women were systematically and brutally raped and it is estimated that some 200,000 people participated in the Rwandan genocide- 2 times the size of the Melbourne cricket ground- fill it up twice and each person filling those seats participated in the death of over 800,000 people. Fill it up four times, each person filling those seats, murdered.

Did I mention that the Rwandan genocide- the death of 800,000 people happened in 100 days. From April to June- 3 months- 100 days- 2,400 hours. That equates to 8,000 murders a day. 800,000 people murdered in 100 days.

The Rwandan genocide resulted from the conscious choice of the elite to promote hatred and fear to keep itself in power. Although the Rwandans are fully responsible for the organization and execution of the genocide, governments and peoples elsewhere all share in the shame of the crime because they failed to prevent and stop this killing campaign. The results of this hideous genocide left children orphaned and traumatised by the country’s sudden burst of violence, their parents and siblings murdered in front of them. Mothers – more than 20,000 of them – pregnant as a result of rape. Women and children missing limbs as a result of machetes wielded without mercy. 

Are you feeling grateful? You should. Are you feeling guilty? You shouldn't. We cannot change where we are born. But we can change what happens when we are. You should continue to read, learn and educate yourself. Commit to it, because it is people who change the world.

#tendaystotellme #tellmeaboutRwanda 

SYRIA

SYRIA| THOUSANDS ARE DROWNING ON THE DOOR STEPS OF THE WEALTHY

The walls start shaking. Your ears start ringing. Fists are pounding on the door and the air is filled with screams. The adrenaline pumping through you is suffocating. You find it hard to see or even breathe. Gunshots sound like fireworks in the distance. In an instant you realise, if you don’t run now you’ll be taken. If you’re taken you’ll be raped, tortured and sold or killed. You grab your children. You run. The phone lines are down. You don’t know where your friends are or if they’re safe. You don’t know if your parents are ok and you know your grandparents won’t be able to run. But you run. 

You run for your life. 

Syria, a Middle Eastern country, is situated between the boarders of Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan. It is estimated to have a population of roughly 22 million and due to conflict and devastation, approximately 5,000 flee Syria every day. Syria's population is made up of many refugees from other countries. In 2012, it was estimated that 1.8 million refugees in the country were from Iraq, most of whom were displaced during the Iraq war. Syria has also been home to large groups of Palestinians (540,000) and Armenians (130,000). However, things are very different today, with the country in turmoil and Syrian’s are now the ones to flee their homes.  Syria is experiencing the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world today. As of March 2015, more than half OF ALL Syrians have been forced to flee their homes, with 7.6 million people displaced within Syria and 3.9 million people living as refugees in neighbouring countries. Can you imagine HALF of Australians had been forced to FLEE their homes, not just leave for a holiday, but FLEE in fear of their lives? There is no doubt that someone you knew or loved would be one of those people. War does not discriminate and with all humanitarian emergencies, women and girls are among the most vulnerable. 

Nearly half a million Syrian women, including refugees and those still in Syria, are pregnant and in need of maternal care. Seventy-five percent of Syrian refugees are women and children, and 716,492 are women and girls of reproductive age. There are several known health risks that women and girls face in conflict and displacement settings. First, armed conflict disrupts access to essential services and distribution of health care, which includes the provision of women’s health care. Prolonged emergencies can weaken health systems, with long-lasting effect on women’s health care. Second, aspects of women’s health that suffer in war, conflict and displacement include access to family planning, safe motherhood, sexual and gender-based violence and disproportionate risk for STDs, including HIV. Female refugees and displaced women are at daily risk of safety and security as well as sexual, physical and mental abuses as they attempt to survive.

“It is sickening to see thousands of refugees drowning on the doorstep of the world's wealthiest continent. No one risks the lives of their children in this way except out of utter desperation”. Jolie on the recent drownings of the migrants fleeing to Europe

Are you feeling grateful? You should. Are you feeling guilty? You shouldn't. We cannot change where we are born. But we can change what happens when we are. You should continue to read, learn and educate yourself. Commit to it, because it is people who change the world. 

#tendaystotellme #tellmeaboutSyria

INDIA

INDIA|

60 MILLION MISSING GIRLS

Photo source: Saurabh Das, Israel Times

60 million. Thats roughly 2.5 times the Australian population. It’s also more than the population of  South Korea, Ukraine, South Africa, Spain, Columbia, Sudan, Argentina, Canada, Morocco, Cuba, Greece, Portugal, Belgium and Hungary- just to name a few. 60 million is also the number of “MISSING” women and girls in India. So imagine rounding up entire countries and killing them- everyone gone or “missing”. Would anyone notice? Would anyone stop it?

These women have either been aborted before birth, killed once born, died of neglect because they were girls, or perhaps murdered by their husband's family for not paying enough dowry at marriage. 60 million is not some random number plucked from thin air- but a matter of demographics. As far back as 1991, the economist Amartya Sen pointed out that Asia was missing 100 million women because of sex-selection (men being valued over women). In 2005, it was estimated at 50 million Indian women in the New York Times “were missing” however, that was 10 years ago. This isn't a new problem- it’s a consistent one. This is a problem deeply entrenched within a culture, this is discrimination against women which has led to the survival rates of girls hitting an all-time low. With parts of society regarding girls as little more than economic and social burdens, families are going to extreme lengths to avoid having daughters. Can you imagine, as a women, being born and ‘surviving’ to then realise there is minimal to no value on your life, let alone your hopes, aspirations and dreams?

In 1991, the Indian census showed a huge drop of women in the sex-ratio. After running tests to check whether women had been under-counted, they found that a massive explosion in sex-selection during the 80s had led to a sharp drop in the number of girls being born. A report by Action Aid in 2009 ("Disappearing Daughters") found that in some villages in the state of Punjab, there were as few as 300 girls for every 1,000 boys. Despite policies to address girls’ rights and improvements in women’s literacy, education and employment, the pressure to produce a male heir remains. 

“It was a girl and we wanted to abort it. We paid 1,200 rupees [$28] and got it over with. What would we 

have done with another girl?”| Couple responding to survey in Kangra 

In 2012, when a young woman was gang raped and then died from serious injuries, the prime minister said nothing about the incident until a week later, despite ongoing public protests. Imagine a crime such as this occurring in Australia, without any recognition from Australia's leader? What message would that send? Gender inequality is so deeply entrenched. Marital rape, for example, is still legal there. India and China alone represent nearly four out of every ten of all people on earth. Due to endemic sex-selection in both countries, the imbalance of women and men there is unprecedented in human history. In India, the overall sex-ratio for young children has fallen to 916 girls per 1,000 boys, and had consistently gotten worse over the last 60 years. In 2012, India was named the worst G20 country to be a woman in due to sex selection, infanticide and trafficking. “My husband and I fought over my desire to have an abortion. I told him that this society does not value girls and I do not want to give birth to another one. I told him that girls are a burden on the family. They have to face violence in all spheres of life. If the girl commits even a small mistake she and her entire family have to bear the burden. When I gave birth to my first daughter everyone pitied me. They all told me that I could not have a son. The taunts from society and from my in-laws that I would have faced for not having a son forced me to abort. I had no other option. Knowing the amount of harassment my baby would go through after her birth, I think it is much better to die.” *Renu, 25

Are you feeling grateful? You should. Are you feeling guilty? You shouldn't. We cannot change where we are born. But we can change what happens when we are. You should continue to read, learn and educate yourself. Commit to it, because it is people who change the world. 

#tendaystotellme #tellmeaboutIndia