Further to the story of Direct Provision resident “Jane”, whose case was aired on RTÉ Radio One’s Liveline yesterday.
Jane who, after asking for more food while breastfeeding her three-month-old child,, was evicted from Mosney, given two days’ notice to move accommodation in a “bed management” letter (above) that made no mention of her two children.
Mark Malone writes:
The Reception and Intergration Agency (RIA) does not outline any specific rationale, or detail any of the particulars why ‘accommodation arrangements’ needed to be reviewed in the first place. Nor does it outline what the process of review involved. Its a defacto decree with no means to official appeal.
It begs the question why was Jane was not given ANY information that might offer ANY grounds for understanding the basis of RIA intended eviction?
It might be dressed up in a sterile language less damaging to the sensitivities of Killian and other RIA bureaucrats. Who would lose sleep writing letters to evict people seeking refuge in Ireland were its just about “bed management”?
Yet it remains unmistakeable. What we are reading – and what this letter is – is the exercise of arbitrary power over a family without the slightest attempt of providing any meaningful justification. It is the text book definition of authoritarianism.
Meanwhile, this incident is merely the tip of the iceberg…
Former workers employed in direct provision centre spoke about persistent system degrading treatment on a daily basis. Of making people queue and beg for rationed toilet rolls. Of other employees refusing to give toiletries to individual adults, arguing one bottle of shower gel between three people in a room is sufficient.
Petty violence after petty violence, micro aggressions from management and employees as a tool of social control against people denied the basic anatomy to work for themselves and their families. Processes which cause genuine emotional tramas, depression and in some cases suicide.
RIA, Direct Provision and State Violence (Soundmigration)
Oh Christ. This is ugly, ugly, ugly. We read this in a week when Flathead Fitzgerald has been abroad, addressing the powerful on our duties to refugees. (BTW she admitted that we were a little behind on our “commitments”). Sickening just doesn’t cover it.
PS. Would one extra ladle of gruel for a breast feeding mother really kill us? Would our County Councillors have to do without their “fact finding” missions to Amerikay and the Far East? Probably not.
*PS. Would one extra ladle of gruel for a breast feeding mother really kill us?*
Apparently. Which is utterly shocking.
The whole direct provision thing needs to be shut down. Everything we hear about it sounds as though it’s staffed by bullies who shouldn’t be anywhere near vulnerable people and that everythingis done to make the existence of the people stuck there as miserable as possible.
Maybe we could make her do laundry for the food, Jane? That has worked so well for us in the past.
Yes, also we could sell the baby. It will probably fetch a worthwhile amount.
Brings this Fintanism to mind;
http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/fintan-o-toole-ireland-is-being-held-back-by-fear-1.2788703
We’re lead by bullshitters who think acting like we don’t put asylum seekers in concentration camps and that our education system isn’t falling apart makes it so.
Modern equivalent of the work house.
Bottler, you have encapsulated it in one incisive comment – help, yes, but only for the DESERVING poor. I think we all know what that means.
Spot on Bottler
‘A breastfeeding mother’. I’m sorry but I am in my early 30’s with no children. I’m in a stable long term relationship and want children but I am on temporary contract employment therefore we made the decision to not have children as we are only a missed salary or two away from not being able to provide for a child or ourselves. Yet in direct provision, in dire circumstances with complete uncertainty (and apparently no privacy as is often said of direct provision) this woman has ANOTHER child. It’s ridiculous and I only feel sorry for the children that their parents were so irresponsible as to bring them into a world like this. We are now expected to what? Take them out of direct provision, give them a house and state support? I wish I could get the same as easily.
Well, you’re not actually sorry, are you? And you don’t know why she got pregnant or how she feels about it.
DAILYMAIL IS THE OTHER TAB ANNIE
Leave her be, Anne. She’s already in the modern Magdalene Laundry for her crimes.
Rest easy, her sinfulness is being duly punished. She’ll never get these years back. Hope that brings a smile to your face.
@ahjayzis
Excellently put
Where exactly did you get that I’m happy she is in this bad situation? I’m not. It’s terrible. But when did we abdicate all personal responsibity from people? I made the decision to make sure I don’t have a child when in in circumstances where said child may end up having a terrible life. If I couldn’t afford contraception that would mean abstinence. Having a child is not a human right. It is a person not a possession and it’s selfish to go on to have a second child while living in these horrendous circumstances – especially when already having had a child. Yet of course if anyone dares say this apparently they are a Magdalene laundry loving awful person. We certainly can’t have people taking responsibility for themselves in any shape or form.
As others have already said Anne, you know NOTHING of this woman’s individual circumstance or whether becoming pregnant was even her decision (and in this country, once that happens she has no other choice but to have the child). It doesn’t matter anyway. It is disgusting to punish a baby regardless of whether or not the parents made an ‘irresponsible’ (in your opinion) decision. What’s done is done. That baby and mother should not be treated so poorly. This is a shocking report.
You’re making a lazy, tired, prejudiced moral judgement on someone whose life you can’t know.
I have no idea what my mental faculties and state would be in after 6 months, a year, five years living in a people-warehouse like this, lorded over by little Stalin’s with clip boards, subsisting on 19 quid a week, barred from working, barred from cooking, barred from any kind of personal autonomy.
N1, thanks for saving me the time in attempting to sum it up but ultimately nowhere near as well…
:-J
Not “Magdalene laundry loving awful person”, Anne, just an awful person, for thinking you have the right to judge anyone for having children, destitute or not.
How or why this woman finds herself in what is effectively a concentration camp with a family is another (overdue) conversation, but the simple lacking of humanity here is the issue.
As for “abdicate all personal responsibity from people” [sic], you really think this person has responsibility for herself when she’s begging for food to sustain breastfeeding a baby?
You’re taking personal responsibility for her personal responsibility.
your right Anne, she should “hang on” until her situation improves
think you’re missing the point about direct provision
Anne, fair play to you for being sensible and realistic about the issue of living within your means and referring to the many issues surrounding population control. You seem to be falling into an obvious trap though…
The system screws you over and prevents you from making a perfectly reasonable choice in your own life. You get angry and point it at another section of society in an even more unequal, dysfunctional situation than your own. You’ve confused similarities with another persons situation and your own specific problems. You’re now well on your way as just another tool of the same sh1tty system that you are trying to overcome by doing it’s job by proxy.
“I blame those [INSERT MINORITY GROUP HERE} !! ”
Make no mistake that this is intentional and encouraged by establishment power structures all accross the world.
Just have the baby, you’ll figure it out one way or another and they practically raise themselves…. along with the help of a good village.
:-J
Fair enough, I’ll say it meself, the Sheik is “A Loony leftie, an SJW, and all around bad hat who just wants to scrounge”. Good enough? My late lamented mother spent time and considerable energy into beating (quite literally) into me the concept that no matter how poor WE were, there were people in worse trouble whom we MUST help. Whilst the lady whose comments above is not in an ideal situation, there are people worse off than her. I will not hog the debate any further.
Good to hear you’re not procreating
Many thanks for your kind endorsement. Kisses.
I think this just raises the issue of relativity of suffering. I totally feel for Anne and Jane. Whereas their suffering is different, they are both equally valid given their contexts. #loveboth…
Me? Why would you feel for me? I’m not here giving out that a woman I don’t know in appalling circumstances has a baby. Personally, I hope her baby brings her and the other children great joy and all her family are a ray of light in a desperate situation. Certainly, if there were any difficulties in my personal life (and, for those of you updating your dossiers, there aren’t), I wouldn’t blame them on this poor woman.
I think he means the “Jane” from the Liveline story.
Ah, makes more sense.
Hear, hear!
So…..you’re jealous of a woman in Direct Provision?
Adress your Government on the subject of zero hours contracts – which are anathema in any civilised Society. Oh wait, it’s so much easier to blame some asylum seeker, isn’t it?
If they are finding it difficult to get toiletries they are highly unlikely to be issued with contraception.
Is this the same woman that has been here for a number of years, and has 2 children, one who is 3 months old and stated she was a single mother? Maybe take some responsibility for your life choices, dont go off and have a child while you are in a less than ideal situation.
Are you compiling a dossier on the reproductive lives of women in direct provision?
why would i do that, for one i dont have the time what with commuting to a full time job…
not really sure what point you are trying to make….or if you are trying to make a point…i imagine its the latter
The point I was making is that it’s pretty creepy to be keeping a record of the reproductive lives of women in direct provision. That’s all, really.
where did you glean that piece of information. dont think i mentioned any where i was keeping a record of anyones lives
Well if I may quote you above:
“Is this the same woman that has been here for a number of years, and has 2 children, one who is 3 months old and stated she was a single mother?”
This suggests that you’re talking an unhealthy and disproportionate interest in the reproductive lives of women in direct provision. You seem to have a list of them and their circumstances which comes to mind so quickly it’s almost like an obscene obsession.
Pretty scary, eh?
sure, maybe spend your €19 a week on contraception instead of food, clothes etc for your kids – and just forget about having any happiness like being with someone.. don’t dare attempt to escape from the horrid reality you live in for even one moment, for judgement will be swift and damning and sympathy absent.
Also, there’s the question of what you can do if you find you’re pregnant – I mean, you’re hardly going to go to the UK on your princely €19.
The possibility that you could be strapped to a gurney and forcefed while they make you wait long enough to have a forced caeserian section exists though, so there is that.
or you could take responsibility for your own body and take measures to not become pregnant. direct provision isnt the kind of place to raise a child, it isnt the kind of place to put an adult either, but thats beside the point. its a terrible system, it doesnt work, and in many cases its inhumane, so a rational person might think it would be a good idea to not get pregnant if living in that situation
Those all sound like swell principles that probably make you feel like you’re better than those awful and irresponsible poor folk but what do you suggest we do with the living child who actually exists now. I assume you’re aware that telling the kids mother she should have used protection will not put food in that kid’s mouth or a roof over his head so what should we do?
XXX
the SJW is strong with you
Calling me an SJW isn’t going to help those children, Brian. Are we, as a society, going to help those children or not, Brian?
Brian. So the sole responsibility for ANY reproduction lies SOLELY with the woman? What an interesting take on the situation.! Material for an entire seminar, I would venture ;-)
yes
So, following that statement to its conclusion, would I be correct in assuming you agree that women deserve the freedom to have an abortion, if she so chooses. Given that ALL reproductive responsibility lays solely with the woman etc etc.
@Brian S, What is wrong with you? Seriously. Can you conceive of no situation where a woman might be pregnant unintentionally or against her will? Or a situation where a pregnant woman could be abandoned by her partner or that a partner might die?
Easy to ask a judgy question like that when you don’t have any idea what kind of “life” these people have. Same goes for those “irresponsible” mothers who have children in war-torn countries. The human desire to pro create goes beyond simple economics. It is also linked to education. Look at Ireland back in the day when having children was an insurance (your pension). As a women, I can attest to the wonderful sense of fulfillment you get when you give birth to a child. Maybe, in a little way, it’s her only access to happiness… would you begrudge her that? I like to take the view that you should assume people do things for good and be convinced otherwise than the other way around. Makes life a lot more bearable and less stressful…
Maybe god visited her and asked her to give birth to himself/his son. Direct provision is the 21st century version of “no room at the inn”.
It’s axiomatic that the one thing people like you can’t comprehend is the simple constant that life goes on. Maybe from the comfort of a midle class life in a well-off country you take this so much for granted that you simply don’t connect the drive to survive with the drive for life to persist. Priveleged people never seem to understand why underpriveleged people have children. They simply refuse to entertain the idea that things might look and be different fro’m any other point of view.
Having dealt with INIS in various forms for a number of years, sad to say that this is fairly standard stuff from them. They always try to bully people. Pop down to Burgh Quay some day and see how people are treated like animals on a daily basis.
Hope the poor lady doesn’t suffer any negative consequences from publicising this — they don’t like it when someone stands up to them.
Padraig, that is actually a big worry in this great “Republic” of ours. Kudos for highlighting this aspect.
Aren’t the “negative consequences” her being moved to the Limerick Gulag from Mosney?
Commentators here judging people for the actions of a single mother who is in horrendous conditions and has to eek out a meagre existence on a pittance that is paid. Letting asylum seekers and refugees work even 20 hours per week would give them some dignity, a new found confidence and some skills
@The Real Jane
Important issue you brought up there. Access to reproductive services is extremely important for women in this vunerable situation.
It is. I suspect that many of these women are victims of multiple circumstances.
Do people in direct provision get medical cards? Would she get the pill for free? Obviously that’s irrelevant now but I’m just wondering.
They can access certain services
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/asylum_seekers_and_refugees/services_for_asylum_seekers_in_ireland/medical_services_and_entitlements_for_asylum_seekers.html
She might get the pill for free or the morning after pill but then again she might not have access where she is in time, she might have a complicated medical history..there could be any number of reasons.
Besides are we all allowed to make mistakes..
I think though there’s also an issue with calling her baby a mistake. Everyone who has a baby is in some form of circumstance where it’s not ideal. The growing perception that it’s wrong to have a baby in less than ideal circumstances is quite worrying. Should women in countries where there is war, famine, poverty not have babies?
Also, as a strident supporter of a woman’s right to choose with no justification to anyone, I am also equally adamant that a woman has a right to become pregnant and continue her pregnancy if she wishes for her own reasons, regardless of how others may choose to interpret it.
Ah, Jane, pull your horns in. She is (just about) entitled to exist and the sprog is an unfortunate event we MIGHT just forgive her for. You’re getting carried away with yourself, aren’t you?
I admit it. She really should have applied to the Council of Sensible, Middle Class Values and Self Control for her Baby Stamp.
Apologies I didnt mean a mistake as in the baby per se I hope people get my drift!
Yeah, I understood you weren’t saying that, totally, but I feel that even the posts sympathetic to the woman in question have seen the baby as a mistake. We don’t know, it’s also none of our business, really.
+1
I have a question. Why are people in this system for years?
Either you are entitled to asylum, in which case you should be welcomed, or you are not, in which case you should be deported.
Can anyone illuminate me?
Government policy – downright malice on the part of civil servants – deliberate inefficiency?? Any of those help at all?
whatever abetting deliberate, certainly inefficient.
I would guess that it’s just not anyone’s priority in terms of things to address.
Which is wrong of course. I don’t see why processing should take over a max of two years.
Don’t forget the private companies profiting from this system http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/asylum-industry-companies-behind-the-direct-provision-system-1.2030500
Just look at all those millions! Here’s just one:
“The direct provision centre in Mosney, Co Meath, is operated by Co Louth businessman Phelim McCloskey and his wife Elizabeth. Mosney is an unlimited company and so does not publish its financial accounts. It is ultimately owned by an Isle of Man company called Sonning Unlimited. The last set of accounts filed by the company before it switched to unlimited status […] showed a turnover of €8.8 million and a pre-tax profit of almost €123,000. Accumulated profits at the end of the year were €5.4 million.”
Indebted to you for that info, Mayjay. Things become so much clearer when you follow the money, don’t they?? :-D
Thanks… here’s one of the main reasons folks.
It’s like privatised prisons everywhere… no inmates = no prison.
The commodification of human beings for a profit motive.
:-J
The idea is to make ALIENS like these feel as miserable and dehumanised as possible, to deter other ALIENS from seeking refuge in Ireland.
Because we’re totes overpopulated and have no reason to have any affinity or special empathy for people fleeing countries that are in trouble.
Yes, It’s also used to remind the different levels of the class system that despite austerity your lives are far better off and you’re right to despise these people(each other) for taking away much needed funds from other more important issues that would benefit you.
Another well proven tool of the scumbag invertibrates……
:-J
illumination will be provided following the inevitable tribunal and inquiry into the systematic human rights breaches found in direct provision centres over the years. there needs to be an unavoidable scandal for government first though, so by my reckoning is you’ll have some sort of answer by 2030.
Many of them have their application refused. So they appeal. and appeal, and appeal. and then they say “I’ve been here for 10 years and have 3 children born in Ireland. it’s inhumane to send me back now…” and they are finally allowed stay.
I’ve tried to locate statistics for the average times people are in direct provision, and average time to first decision – but can’t. Anyone know if they are publically available?
Corruption and greed.
:-J
Legal personnel assessing their cases and racking up chunky fees
Nothing to do with the subject under discussion – but a tenuous relationship nonetheless. Our Government, amongst many others, never cease to bang on about our ‘diaspora’ (a Hebrew term, which we aren’t strictly entitled to use) which numbers, according to some estimates, approx. forty million people. I read today that some TV channel has been launched to broadcast to this wonderful Irish ‘diaspora’. My question is, given that we are so enamoured of this ‘diaspora’, all of whom descend from or are economic migrants – as opposed to refugees – why is our opposition to “economic migrants” so very strong?
No takers, eh? Fair enough. :-)
The Direct Provision System
Well done FFFGLAB Party and the rest of the establishment…. another well thought out and carefully managed progressive idea that has evolved into the equivolent of Ireland’s “Guantanamo Bay”….
‘G’wan-ta-fck Island’….
Scumbag invertibrates running wild all over the place…
:-J
Tickets home for all of them if not happy.
Do you ever wonder past that knee-jerk notion why that has not happened already???
I’ll give you a clue… read what MayJay posted above and the link to the IT article.
No need to thank me for enlightening your simple thought…
Enjoy…
:-J
Disgraceful way to treat that lady.
Good man, Peter. Great to see there’s a few left.
Jesus that letter is cold, and from the “Reception and Dispersal” department FFS. Someone needs to provide answers on this like what was the problem with the request for extra food for a breastfeeding mother and why is the move to Limerick when there are much closer DP centers. If they are having problems providing the basics like food then they are really very, very incompetent. My guess though is it’s not incompetence, just pure small minded malice.