Action for Afghanistan | Action for Afghanistan

Action for Afghanistan

It is clear that the Afghan people, especially ethnic and religious minorities as well as women and children are in great danger in their own country. In addition, there are more than 5,100 refugees and people seeking asylum from Afghanistan living in Australia, many with families in Afghanistan, and many without any certainty about their future in Australia.

While the Federal Government has undertaken to allocate at least 3,000 places for people from Afghanistan within the current humanitarian intake, the need is dire and immediate, and a special additional intake is required. We therefore wish to raise our voices as members of the Catholic Alliance for People Seeking Asylum (CAPSA) to urge the Federal Government to

provide a special allocation of at least 20,000 additional humanitarian places for people fleeing Afghanistan,
guarantee permanent visas to those living here under temporary visas, and
enable family reunions for Afghan people living in Australia.

We encourage you to be part of the voice of CAPSA, through one or both of the following ways:

send a letter to your local Member of Parliament directly through the CAPSA website at https://capsa.org.au/afghanistan/. On this website you will find a form letter which you can easily edit or send as it is. By entering your postcode, you will be able to send it to your local MP.
At www.actionforafghanistan.com.au/ you will be able to sign a petition along with thousands of other Australians.

We remain in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan who need our compassion and kindness now.

Find your local rep

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Subject:

The Catholic Alliance for People Seeking Asylum (CAPSA) is calling on the Federal Government to act urgently to provide an immediate increase of support to those affected by the unfolding crisis across Afghanistan.

As a local member of your constituency I am writing to echo CAPSA’s call and to bring your attention to the urgency of this matter. As I send you this letter, people across all regions of Afghanistan face an imminent threat of further violence, conflict and internal displacement. Already, horrifying accounts are emerging of atrocities including extrajudicial executions, and the forced marriage of women and girls.

As a matter of humanitarian urgency, I implore you to call on the Federal Government to immediately action the following:

- Commit to accepting a special intake of at least 20,000 people who are fleeing persecution in Afghanistan. This would bring Australia in line with other international commitments, such as that from Canada, to support those affected by the conflict.
- Provide permanent protection to the approximately 5100 refugees from Afghanistan who are currently in Australia on temporary visas. It is abundantly clear that people in this cohort will be unable to return to Afghanistan in conditions of safety and dignity in the foreseeable future.
- Enable priority access to family reunion to refugees from Afghanistan who have been issued temporary visas in Australia.

Recently, Pope Francis called on countries, like Australia, to take in refugees fearing persecution in Afghanistan:

“In these troubled times that see Afghans seeking refuge, I pray for the most vulnerable among them. I pray that many countries will welcome and protect those seeking a new life."

I too hope you can heed the call of Pope Francis and open your heart to those seeking safety a new life from Afghanistan.

I look forward to your response and action.

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