Ask and you shall receive ... ?

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Brett Solomon
GetUp Ltd
GPO Box A105
South Sydney, New South Wales 1235

Re: Australian Children and Women Trapped Overseas by Domestic Violence and Systemic and Judicial Abuse

Dear Sir,

I have previously contacted GetUp on several occasions begging for assistance for Australian children and women trapped overseas by domestic violence and systemic and judicial abuse. The first few times I was lead to believe that someone would review the online resource I had created in the form of a blog www.womenwhowant2gohome.blogspot.com , but no one got back to me. The last time I phoned I was informed that David Hicks was your priority and then you had other campaigns lined up therefore had no resources to address these issues - but when I saw your “ad” for “FuelWatch” at the conclusion of last nights Q&A Adventures in Democracy programme on the ABC I hoped that seeing you had resources available for that you might be now in a position to assist us.

As your website states “GetUp does not back any particular party, but aims to build an accountable and progressive Parliament – a Parliament with economic fairness, social justice and environment at its core.” I hope that you will be available to advocate for and assist us and help address the “ethical gap” between what is said and what is done in relation to violence against children and women, and how harmful that is to social justice, democracy, accountability, the economy and healthy sustainable communities.

This situation has been so traumatic that my eldest daughter attempted suicide and I still cannot get any assistance. I am extremely concerned for my children’s welfare, wellbeing and safety, my wellbeing and safety, the wellbeing and safety of the other Australian woman and her children mentioned in my online resource, all other children and women in this traumatic situation, concerned about security of my information and documents and personal possessions still in Canada and desperate for immediate intervention and assistance for all of us.

A guest speaker at the “Towards Better Practice: Enhancing collaboration between women’s mental health services and domestic violence services” seminar, hosted by Sydney University Faculty of Education and Social Work, (proceedings posted at the Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse website) informed me that “female politicians will not speak up about these issues for fear of backlash” and that “the government will not do anything unless the media embarrasses them into it”. What we need are safer, more supportive and more immediate options for women and children who have experienced violence.

Some of the disturbing things I have discovered while begging for assistance include:

• Publicly funded organisations whose excuse for not speaking up on these issues is that they cannot say anything negative about the government or they will lose their funding
• Australia 2020 Summit participants who will not speak up about these issues
• Government and non-government delegates to the 52nd Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women who will not provide any support, assistance or speak up on theses issues. (Is that a government requirement for selection?)
• Politicians from every political party who believed David Hicks deserved government intervention and “judicial fairness” but no politicians who believe innocent and vulnerable Australian children and women trapped overseas by domestic violence and systemic and judicial abuse deserve any assistance, support or government intervention, and who do not use the information I have supplied to warn and protect others from a similar trauma
• Researchers and academics who have status as “experts” on these issues but will not assist, provide support or speak up on these issues. (Is it because they fear losing research funding? Or are they ethically comfortable making a living being an “expert” on violence against children and women without caring about those children and women’s experience of violence or feeling any compunction to be part of change – academic community justifies this by calling them “critical theorists”.)
• The Government spends public funds warning Australians of the risks and consequences of being involved with drug trafficking while overseas; something we all know is illegal. When you ignore those warnings, and chose to participate in this criminal activity, in the case of the “Bali Nine” for example, the government will still provide you with consular assistance, pay your legal expenses and try to organise prison transfers for you. If you are the victim of the crime of domestic violence while overseas, the government contends it cannot assist or intervene, and then finances foreign jurisdictions that use government resources to deny Australian children and women safety and justice. (What does this government attitude mean in relation to children and women here who experience domestic violence?)

If it is helpful I can mail you the extensive supporting documentation that I have shared with many others while trying to gain support and assistance for us and other children and women in similar traumatic circumstances.

My priority is for my children and I and the other Australian mother and children mentioned in my online resource to be safely home in Australia with our families immediately, and for others in similar traumatic circumstances, who are unknown to me, to also receive immediate assistance and intervention - to provide the safety and justice we have been denied for so many years. What I hope is that then I can be part of the discussion about how our experience might be reflective of other government practices in broader gender contexts and social justice issues and what would constitute “an accountable and progressive Parliament – a Parliament with economic fairness, social justice and environment at its core” in relation to these issues.

These issues need to be part of public and political discourse, and until my children and I are safe we need to not be in any way identifiable, knowing you can ask for assistance and remain safely anonymous would be an important factor in other women and families coming forward to share their information of similar social justice issues.

Immediate assistance, support and advocacy would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

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