ASYLUM seekers who have been living in Limerick for years have sought clarification from the government on long delays in defining their status, which prevent them from working or furthering their education. Residents of Knockalisheen Accommodation Centre, Hanratty House and Westborne Hostel gathered outside the Irish Aid offices on Henry Street to stage a peaceful protest against the Government’s Direct Provision system, which has left them in limbo for years.
Ghanian man Moses told the Limerick Post that he has been living in Knockalisheen for seven years, and that the government’s lack of action is causing huge amounts of stress and depression.
“The government said they would consider people who have been here for over five years, but they are not upholding that.
“We are begging them to consider peoples rights and treat us like human beings.
“Even children who are born here do not have an automatic right to asylum and can be deported. I don’t know anywhere else where this can happen”.
He said that, if given a chance, asylum seekers could create jobs and have a positive influence on the country.
“What if Obama’s father had been sent away from America?
“Our children could grow up here and change the world.
“There are many skills that we could put into action to create employment. We want to work and pay taxes”.
Given that asylum seekers are entitled to just €19.10, Moses queried where the government’s reported spend of €85 million per year was going.
Sharam Salih, from Iran, has been here for six year and said he had completed his Leaving Cert two years ago, receiving 290 points, but could not go to college or work.
Joao Abola, from Angola, is in a similar position, with an honours degree in his home country.
Jane from Zimbabwe, said that her three children were totally adapted to Irish life.
“We love Ireland, it offers us protection that we can’t get in Zimbabwe.
“My children would be lost if they went back to Africa. They get Irish conditions like eczema and they eat Irish food.
“They go to school but they can’t have holidays like other children. They are always stuck in the centre”.
Rights organisation Doras Luimni are also seeking clarification on the government’s position on asylum seekers.
“The enforced poverty and idleness is soul destroying for the people within the system. It has been in place for 10 years without once being independently evaluated or assessed”, said Advocacy and Campaigns Officer Siobhan O’Connor.
“We ask that the government fulfil their obligation to give refuge, not just a roof, but a quality of life”.
Limerick Asylum Seekers Committee have written to Minister of State Peter Power asking him to intervene.
