Salvos Support Providing Sanctuary For Families And Children Seeking Asylum

The Salvation Army stands alongside other Australian Christian denominations who are providing sanctuary and support for 265 people seeking asylum including children and their families, who were formally released, but may be forced to be deported back to offshore detention.

People seeking asylum have experienced significant trauma and are in need of compassion and care. The Salvation Army is concerned that any deportation to offshore detention for this vulnerable group of people may further exacerbate existing trauma and compromise the safety and care of those relocated, especially children. The safety, dignity, and respect of people seeking asylum must be of the highest importance.

Morality does not allow for people seeking asylum, including children and families, to be held in detention. Today The Salvation Army supports an alternative response, such as that proposed by other Christian communities, who seek to provide places of welcome, safety, dignity, and care for people at risk of deportation to offshore detention.

We call upon both major parties to seriously observe the human dignity of all people seeking asylum and reconsider any policy that sees offshore deportation as a response to people, including children and their families, experiencing profound trauma and dislocation.

The Salvation Army continues to offer its support in working with the government to provide a solution to the wider issue of large numbers of people seeking asylum.