Yesterday, during the public hearing in the Senate Inquiry into Australia Engagement in Afghanistan we heard from the Department of Home Affairs that more than 100,000 people fleeing the Taliban have requested safety in Australia.
Despite this great need, the Australian Government is only providing 3,000 humanitarian places, as part of our existing and already cut humanitarian intake.
Today, we need your help. Join us in calling for an additional 20,000 humanitarian places for people fleeing the Taliban.
Print out the poster at this link, take a selfie and post on social media tagging @ScottMorrisonMP and @AlexHawkeMP, using #20kTuesday and #ActionforAfghanistan. Please share this call with family, colleagues - and if you are an organisation, with your supporters.
Example post: More than 100,000 people fleeing the Taliban have requested safety in Australia. @ScottMorrisonMP @AlexHawkeMP we need an additional 20k humanitarian places today! #20kTuesday #ActionforAfghanistan.
The large number of people requesting safety from the Taliban is not surprising given the constant flow of horrifying news from Afghanistan.
Girls continue to be banned from going to school, we have heard credible reports that the long persecuted Hazara people have been displaced from their ancestral lands by the Taliban, and targeted in the escalating sectarian violence. We have seen the Taliban reacting to women protesting for their rights with violence, and we’ve seen them rounding up and beating journalists.
The horrifying reports of human rights abuses from Afghanistan are proof that the 3,000 humanitarian places allocated to those fleeing the Taliban from Afghanistan is not enough.
We need actions and commitments from the Australian Government that match the many promises we made to the people of Afghanistan. We need action from our government, and a commitment to 20,000 additional humanitarian places, today.
Please join us today in asking the Australian government for an additional 20,000 humanitarian places for people fleeing the Taliban.
Together, our calls will be heard.
Thank you for your continued support.
Barat Ali Batoor and Shabnam Safa,
on behalf of the Afghanistan-Australian Advocacy Network (AAAN) and the Diaspora Advocacy Network for Afghanistan (DANA)