Michelle McDonald is a voluntary refugee rights organiser based in Brisbane. She is a Catholic mum and communications professional.

I had been a stereotypical goody-two-shoes Christian. But the Australian Government’s policy to detain and warehouse refugees, including children, in island prisons changed me. This barbaric policy has left me and other Christians in a position where challenging and breaking the law has become the right and Christian thing to do.

In early 2016, I joined hundreds of Brisbane-ites in a 10-day vigil outside the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital. We were supporting the medical staff who had refused to discharge a baby girl, known as “Asha”, unless the government agreed she would not be forcibly returned to Nauru. A stand-off between the hospital staff and the then Department of Immigration and Border Force followed. We made an illegal blockade and hundreds of locals peacefully inspected every vehicle (including police 4WDs) leaving the hospital in an effort to prevent the baby’s return to the island prison. After 10 days the baby was finally released into the Brisbane community.

At around the same time, more than 40 Australian Churches and Christian organisations, led by the Anglican Dean of Brisbane, Peter Catt, offered “Sanctuary” to the hundreds of adults and children known as the “LetThemStay” cohort. They were people seeking asylum who had been brought to Australia from Nauru for medical attention and whom the Government intended to send back to Nauru and Manus.

In case they sought sanctuary in the Anglican Cathedral, I worked with members of the Brisbane “Love Makes A Way” committee, training over 150 community members to be “shields” to help protect people if they sought safety inside the Cathedral from the authorities. Similar training was carried out in other cities where sanctuary was also offered. Because of the sanctuary offer, no adult or child among the “LetThemStay” cohort has been returned to Nauru or Manus. It seems that the political cost to the government was too high to confront the Churches’ stance on their decision to “conceal and harbour” refugees, including children.

As I tucked my son into bed at night over the last five years, I have prayed for the parents on Nauru. I wonder how I would cope if I were in their shoes.

Every person seeking asylum has the right to a fair, transparent and efficient assessment process and to live their lives in safety and freedom. This is why I feel compelled to advocate for the safety of these children and their parents.

Even though in 2016 the “Nauru Files” — 2,000 government incident reports — were leaked to the public with over half showing abuse and neglect of children, kids continue to suffer needlessly at the hands of the government.

Today, children on Nauru continue to attempt suicide — a 12-year-old girl tried to set herself alight in August. In the same month, three health professionals returned and appeared on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s 7.30 Report to blow the whistle on how the Australian Border Force is blocking dozens of children from being transferred to Australia for emergency medical care.

The most chilling stories I have heard detail how people on Nauru and Manus are systemically dehumanised by Immigration and Border Force staff. I heard from whistleblowers, including medical professionals, social workers, psychologists, teachers and security guards who have worked on Nauru and Manus. They all say the same thing: refugees are routinely called by a boat ID number rather than by their name by government staff and they instruct other workers to do the same.

It works like this. When a boat of refugees arrives it is given a name, eg, “XYZ”. The first person off the boat is labelled “XYZ-1”, the second person is “XYZ-2” and so on. These labels become the person’s new government identity.

A whistleblower nurse described how a number of refugee children presented her with pictures that they had drawn for her to say “goodbye” when she was leaving. She asked them to write their names on the drawings so she could remember who had drawn which picture. Every child immediately wrote their boat ID number in crayon on the bottom of their drawings. It seemed that they had forgotten the names their parents had given them at birth.

I get cranky at how far we have come from the tender message of Isaiah 43:1,4: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine ... because you are precious in my sight, and honoured, and I love you.” I look to Kiwi Christians to get cranky with us and to help these children get their names back as well as a safe place to belong.

Five ways Kiwis can help:

1. Find out more by visiting wvnz.org.nz/kidsoffnauru

2. Tell the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern that you support her campaign to bring children and their families from Nauru to New Zealand.

Email: j.ardern@ministers.govt.nz Call: 04 817 8700

3. Take to social media and support #KidsOffNauru

4. Download and distribute resources for your Churches and organisations from www.kidsoffnauru.com/resources/

5. Ask your congregations, friends and family to help get the #KidsOffNauru.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 231 October 2018: 3