I have been working on charts and graphs all day, trying to make sense of the arrivals of asylum seekers by boat – how many, is it a spike, if it is a spike is it in any way connected with the end of the TPV – and I have come to the conclusion that the only sane response to all of this is to remember the people whoi suffered so much on the TPV:
“For many of the men we have been working with, suicide is a very real option. These are people who fled to save their lives, whose will to live is strong but for whom the prospect of death looms large. Their Temporary Protection Visas will soon expire and so too their hopes of remaining in Australia. If forced to return home, they’re convinced they’ll be killed. If their lives are to be lost, most would prefer it to be at their own hands. Many are taking medication to help them sleep at night and treat their depression” (Proctor, 2004).
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