 | |
| Founded | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Fields | Refugees, asylum seekers |
Key people | Bulelani Mfaco (spokesperson), Lucky Khambule (co-founder), Donnah Sibanda Vuma (co-founder), Felix Dzamara (co-founder), Evgeny Shtorn [ citation needed ] |
| Website | www |
The Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) is an Irish advocacy group for those seeking international protection in Ireland, with the goals of ending direct provision and deportation.
MASI was founded in 2014 after the protests in direct provision centres to give a voice to, and advocate for, those living in direct provision and seeking asylum in Ireland. [1] One of the founding members of MASI was Lucky Khambule. [2] The group argues that the privatised nature of direct provision centres in Ireland results in chronic issues regarding health, hygiene, and civil and human rights of those housed there. [3] They held their first conference in Liberty Hall, Dublin in October 2019, with a keynote from MASI spokesperson Bulelani Mfaco. [4] Alongside the Irish Refugee Council and Nasc, MASI is one of the groups represented on the independent advisory group reviewing direct provision which reported on the topic. [5] [6]
MASI's core goals include acting as a platform for asylum seekers, seeking justice and dignity for them, while seeking an ultimate end of the direct provision system. They seek education and work rights for asylum seekers, and oppose deportation. The group is not affiliated with any other NGOs or political parties, and is funded through individuals' resources and fundraising, receiving no State or corporate funding. It has no formal membership or organisational structure, making decisions in a collective manner. [1]
In 2020, MASI have highlighted the systemic issues around the management and containment of COVID-19 in direct provision centres across Ireland, [7] [8] due to problems regarding the inability for people to self-isolate, over-crowding, and lack of facilities for families and children. Some of these centres have been individually identified as having on-going issues, including in Cahersiveen, [9] Miltown Malbay, [10] and Portarlington. [11] MASI alongside Nasc, the Sanctuary Runners, Doras, Irish Refugee Council, and the Immigrant Council of Ireland, called for all vulnerable and at-risk migrants be removed from direct provision centres. [12]
MASI, with Black Pride Ireland and MERJ, were involved in organising Black Lives Matter protests and demonstrations in response to the murder of George Floyd in Ireland in June 2020. This was criticised by the Minister for Health and the head of the National Public Health Emergency Team as contravening the COVID-19 restrictions on movement and mass gatherings. [13]
The Republic of Ireland had a population of 5,149,139 at the 2022 census.
The Nauru Regional Processing Centre is an offshore Australian immigration detention facility in use from 2001 to 2008, from 2012 to 2019, and from September 2021. It is located on the South Pacific island nation of Nauru and run by the Government of Nauru. The use of immigration detention facilities is part of a policy of mandatory detention in Australia.
Mosney Accommodation Centre is located in Mosney, County Meath, Ireland and is situated approximately 48 km (30 mi) from Dublin. It is probably best known as the site of a Butlin's holiday camp in the second half of the 20th century and as the site for the national finals of the Community Games. By the early 21st-century, this had been converted into an accommodation centre for asylum-seekers. The centre was served by Mosney railway station, which closed down in 2000. Currently, it ranks as the biggest earning direct provision Centre in Ireland.
Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre is a detention centre for foreign nationals prior to their deportation from the United Kingdom, one of 10 such centres currently in the UK. It is located near Milton Ernest in Bedfordshire, England, and is operated by Serco, which describes the place as "a fully contained residential centre housing adult women and adult family groups awaiting immigration clearance." Its population is, and has been, overwhelmingly female.
Christmas Island Immigration Reception and Processing Centre or commonly just Christmas Island Immigration Detention Centre, is an Australian immigration detention facility located on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.
LGBT migration is the movement of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender(LGBT) people around the world and domestically, often to escape discrimination or ill treatment due to their sexuality. Globally, many LGBT people attempt to leave discriminatory regions in search of more tolerant ones.
Direct provision is a system of asylum seeker accommodation used in the Republic of Ireland. The system has been criticised by human rights organisations as illegal, inhuman and degrading. The system, operated by the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, provides international protection applicants with accommodation and a small allowance. International protection applicants in direct provision are usually entitled to state-funded medical care, and children have full mainstream access to the education system.
Andy Pollak is a journalist, editor, writer and commentator focusing on cross-border cooperation in Ireland. He led the Centre for Cross Border Studies, and served on the board of the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation.
Evgeny Shtorn is an LGBT activist, organizer, scholar and poet.
Black Pride Ireland is a Black gay pride advocacy group in Ireland founded in 2019 advocating for the rights of black LGBTQIA+ people on the island of Ireland.
The Irish Refugee Council (IRC) is a humanitarian, non-governmental organisation that protects the rights of people affected by displacement.
The Migrants and Ethnic-minorities for Reproductive Justice (MERJ) is an Irish advocacy group for reproductive rights for migrants, Travellers and people of colour in Ireland.
The Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) is a non-governmental organisation and independent law centre based in Ireland which advises migrants on their rights while advocating for increased migrant protections.
Spirasi is the Irish national independent centre for the rehabilitation of victims of torture.
Doras is an Irish independent, non-governmental organisation advocating for the rights of migrants in Ireland based in Limerick.
Bulelani Mfaco is a South African former asylum seeker and activist in Ireland, and spokesperson for the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland.
Ellie Kisyombe is a Malawian activist and asylum seeker living in Ireland. She is the co-founder of Our Table, a non-profit social enterprise that operates projects such as pop-up restaurants.
Nasc is an Irish independent, non-governmental migrant rights centre in Ireland, based in Cork.
Lucky Khambule is a South African former asylum seeker and activist in Ireland, and co-founder of the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland.
Protests at several locations in Ireland started in early November 2022 after the development of sites in various parts of the country as temporary refugee shelters by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), as it attempted to accommodate the influx of 65,000 refugees during 2022. Protests have been held in East Wall, Ballymun, Drimnagh, and elsewhere in Dublin; Fermoy and Mallow in County Cork; Kill, County Kildare; Lismore, County Waterford; Mullingar in County Westmeath; and Inch in County Clare.