Somali Asylum Seekers Protest outside Dáil

by Cara - Revolt VIdeo Thu Mar 09, 2006 15:50

Demo in Support of Somalians facing deportation
Gathering outside the Dail
12.30 Wednesday 9th March

by WWF Fri Mar 10, 2006 13:26

Someone should tell the good lady in the second pic from bottom that if she is going to go to the bother of holding an Irish flag she should at least hold it the correct way up!!

by Caoimhe - RAR pers cap Fri Mar 10, 2006 23:07

The placard refers to the fact that many women come to Ireland seeking asylum to try to avoid Female Genital Mutilation. If thet are deported they will be forced to have their genitals mutilated. There is a vast amounts of international research that shows the effects of FGM, where it occurs, why, etc, etc. Most women who undergo this very dangerous procedure are forced due to different family and cultural pressures. Asylum still is not granted to women on the grounds of FGM in Ireland despite the fact that FGM is grounds for asylum in many other countries (eg UK, USA and many more).

by phm Thu Apr 20, 2006 21:04

FGM is a barbaric procedure which is a cultural practice in certain societies, both moslem and non-moslem, in parts of Africa.

There are two issues we in Ireland need to address:

1. How best to put an end to the practice where it is indiginous
2. How to stop it happening here.

1. The governments of many of the countries where it is practiced are only nominally against the practice and prefer to turn a blind eye. They might get serious about protecting their young women from the mullahas and their elders (of both sexes) if they were threatened with the withdrawal of western aid. This means putting pressure on both the Irish government and NGOs and the governments of the countries concerned.
For those of a protesting inclination, the place to be is outside the dept. for foreign-affairs calling for aid to be with-held from these countries, or outside the relevant foreign embassy, where there is one. For the rest of us it means lobbying our public reps.
Strangely, the fringe has no appetite for protest where it might actually do some good.

2. By opposing with every fibre of our bodies the cancer of 'multiculturalism', and instead promoting proper integration by insisting that persons coming here from other cultural backgrounds are left in no doubt that Ireland will not tolerate FGM, kitchen-table circumcisions, bride-burning, honour-killings, forced marriages, polygamy, intolerance of gays, and treating women as satraps.
'Multiculturalism' merely cedes authority over the girls and women of cultural minorities to the grim regressive mullahas who blighted their lives back home and extinguished their hopes of personal development and fulfilment.

by gerri Sun Jun 11, 2006 01:28

I certainly agree that no woman or girl should have to undergo thís barbaric practice and that in order to best combat it, pressure should be brought to bear upon governments that are not doing all they can to reduce and eradicate it.

Unfortunately, it seems that female genital mutilation is supported both culturally and socially in most African societies and that most victims undergo it at a very young age, at the behest of their parents and larger family group as women who have not had it done are deemed unsuitable for marriage and childbearing. Thus the cultural pressure for families to subject their daughters to this practice is brought to bear and it would seem that the root of this evil lies with attitudes towards women in some cultures.

If any group or person is really serious about minimizing the risk posed to women/girls in Africa of having their genitals horrifically mutilated without anaesthetic, they should lobby our government to pressurize these governments of countries where it is allowed happen to stop it or they should contribute financially to one of the womens groups who try to stop it.

by Gerri Sat Jun 17, 2006 00:05

I would like to respond to Caoimhe of RAR who says 'many women come to Ireland seeking asylum to try to avoid Female Genital Mutilation. If thet are deported they will be forced to have their genitals mutilated...Asylum still is not granted to women on the grounds of FGM in Ireland despite the fact that FGM is grounds for asylum in many other countries (eg UK, USA and many more)'

First of all, Ireland has in fact granted asylum on the grounds of female genital mutilation, as have other countries. It is also true that many female applicants have claimed to fear this and have been refused asylum.

I would like to ask Caoimhe whether to make clear whether she believes that all women coming to Ireland, claiming to be in danger of having their genitals mutilated, should automatically be given asylum.

Caoimhe says that FGM is grounds for asylum in the UK and USA. It is not quite clear whether Caoimhe believes that claims of FGM mean automatic entitlement to asylum in these countries or indeed whether asylum seekers are more likely to be recognised as refugees in UK and USA. If Caoimhe does believe this she is very much mistaken, as appears to be the case with alot of claims coming from RAR. In the UK and USA, claims of this nature will be processed and judged on a case by case basis and may or may not be granted asylum. In Ireland, each claim is investigated and if it is found that the claimant has reasonable grounds to fear persecution, (such as having their genitals mutilated) they are given asylum. If not, they are not granted asylum. Which brings me to my next point.

Jim states that Somali asylum seekers come from an unsafe, corrupt country, a statement which is backed up by objective evidence. Jim also states that these Somali asylum seekers are in danger of deportation to Somalia. Where does Jim get this information from? At no time in the past has Ireland ever deported any asylum seekers or indeed any person to Somalia. Can Jim please say for what precise reason he believes that these people are in danger of deportation to Somalia? Secondly, does Jim believe that all claimants who say they are Somalis should be automatically granted asylum on this basis.

by Akidwa - Akidwa Fri Jul 16, 2010 01:06

Please visit akidwa website on www.akidwa.ie/fgm on full analysis of FGM.

by akidwa akidyanot Fri Jul 16, 2010 13:19

The correct link for the FGM page on akidwa is
http://www.akidwa.ie/fgm.php