Are the Direct Provision Asylum Seeker centres our generations equivalent of the child detention centres of the 1930’s? Some 4,360 people were stuck in this misery at the start of the year. Over 1,600 of these people have been trapped in the system for 5 or more years. Meanwhile those running the centres who are frequently connected to the ruling parties pocketed €62 million in 2012 alone.
Are the Direct Provision Asylum Seeker centres our generations equivalent of the child detention centres of the 1930’s? Some 4,360 people were stuck in this misery at the start of the year. Over 1,600 of these people have been trapped in the system for 5 or more years. Meanwhile those running the centres who are frequently connected to the ruling parties pocketed €62 million in 2012 alone.
An article in the Irish Times today headed ‘A form of torture’ provides the following details
-> 34 Number of direct-provision centres around Ireland, plus one initial reception centre in Dublin called Balseskin.
-> €19.10 The weekly allowance asylum seekers in direct provision receive, or
-> €9.60 for children. This allowance has not increased since it was first introduced in 2000.
-> 59% of all residents had been in direct provision for longer than three years as of the end of 2012;
-> 31% had been in the system more than five years; and
9% for longer than seven years.
-> Rules and conditions Residents are not allowed to cook or have food in their own rooms. Asylum seekers in Ireland are prohibited from working.
In 60 years time will our grandchildren be looking back in horror at these figures and wonder how we allowed such cruelty for profit to go on under our noses?
WORDS Andrew Flood (Follow Andrew on Twitter )