Twenty Years Too Late, Set The Date: We’re still here

Dear People Who Have Experienced Direct Provision,

Click here to read this in Albanian, Arabic, French, Georgian, Persian, Spanish, Urdu, Xhosa or Zulu.

Your voices are powerful. For many years, people living in Direct Provision have written open letters, shared their calls on social media, and led protests to stand up for their rights and demand the end to Direct Provision. You have effected real change and brought us to this historic moment, where the new Government has promised to End Direct Provision, after twenty years of this cruel system.

While this promise is welcome, we need to keep the pressure up. The Government has to urgently end Direct Provision and and ensure that people’s human rights are respected and upheld.

We at Amnesty International want to make sure your voices continue to be heard front and centre so we are handing over our platform to you, so you can tell the government “we’re still here”.

We are inviting you to write an open letter to the government.

Tell them who you are, remind them you’re still here, and share your hopes for after direct provision ends. Tell them that it’s already twenty years too late, and they must act now to set the date. We need an implementation plan and timeline for when and how Direct Provision will end.

We will share your open letters with a wider audience, publishing them online.

We will select some of the letters to be commissioned further and made into a video piece for social media. You can choose to read your own letter or, if you would be more comfortable, have an actor read your words.
Each author of a commissioned letter will be paid a fee.

You can write in any language. You can remain anonymous. You can write your own letter or write in a group.

Send your letters to act(at)amnesty.ie.