It is in german, here is the text of the petition in English
:
hier ein Link zu einer Online-Petition zugunsten afghanischer Flüchtlinge.
Here is a link to an online petition for Afghani refugees.
http://openpetition.de/petition/online/afghanische-fluechtlinge-sollen-…
How we are treated in Bavaria
In Afghanistan, at present time, the central problem is a war between two certain polarized groups, one called ‘terrorists’ and the other the so-called ‘anti-terrorists’. In the middle of them a confused government is desperately struggling for a better future and Afghans are living in a severity, struggling for saving their lives, some of them having to leave the country. In Bavaria, however,
Afghan refugees are facing problems of a different sort.
When we intended to end up our long, dire journey from Afghanistan in Germany, we didn’t think that we would encounter harsh conditions to seek asylum. We had so much hope in our weary hearts that we would be able to start a new but peaceful life without problems here. We were almost wrong.
Many of us who have landed in the State of Bavaria, to be specific, have been suffering from a different severity. The problems we are facing at the moment differ from rejection of asylum applications to difficult living conditions. To summarize our dissatisfactions, the major problems are listed as follows.
1.The main problem is that most of the asylum applications of Afghan refugees are rejected by the Federal Office of Migration and Refugees. Most of us have been given a short-term residence permit (Duldung). Recently, the Bavarian Government has decided to deport those with short-term residence permit or Duldung back to Afghanistan. For those of us who have been informed but denied to obtain an Afghan passport for deportation, some of the entitlements such as pocket money, medical insurance etc. have been ceased. At the moment, they don’t receive Social support
for medical treatment. They are forced to go back to Afghanistan;
2.The living conditions, which not only Afghans but all asylum seekers from every country encounter, is greatly unacceptable. Most of us live in particular houses called ‘Asylheims’ located too far from the cities, very isolated from the people, and with no opportunities (e.g. for learning language, etc. while at the same time we are expected to speak German in Germany). Approximately, Eur 40 per month is paid as pocket money and, unlike other German States, a package of food (repeatedly the same stuff) is given twice a week, but not the equivalent cash to buy the necessary foodstuff from the market.
3.We are allowed to stay in a very limited area (e.g. those who are based in Nuremberg are only allowed in the Mittelfranken area). If somebody needs to visit a family member or a friend outside the allowed region, he/she can receive a permission of five (5) days per month but has to pay Eur 10 to the Social. Only Eur 30 per month remains – if somebody applies for leave. What can be done with Eur 30 or even Eur 40 in a month?
4.Work permission is not given either. According to the law, every asylum seeker can work after completion of the first 12 months stay, but that is not happening. Some of us have been here for two (2) years or more but no work permission has been given yet.
Thus, we have to struggle for our survival even here. These issues make us make our demands, so that our rights are appropriately considered based on the UN Convention of Refugees.
First of all, we need the Bavarian Government not to send us back to Afghanistan, where we were forced to leave, where we have escaped from, and instead protect us as Afghan refugees, respecting the ‘1951 UN Refugees Convention’ and the subsequent protocol. We need the Government to stop giving us short-term permit or Duldung and not to force us to go back to Afghanistan where our lives will be endangered once again. Pursuant to the UN Refugee Convention and relevant subsequent protocol, the host government is obliged to give us protection without discrimination while our country is in an extreme situation of conflict.
Second, we expect our living conditions to be improved it here. As asylum seekers, what we receive from the Social is way below what a human in Europe normally is entitled to, and the conditions under which we live are way too limited compared to how a human normally lives - anywhere. Some of these problems and limitations for refugees are only specific to Bavaria. In other German States, the conditions are much better. For instance, the refugees are allowed to the entire state, and they received cash payment for food rather than food pockets. They have more freedom.
Germany is one of the first states that signed the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol. It is indeed a capable nation to easily give protection to war refugees. It also must be stated that Germany has had a major contribution to the development and reconstruction of Afghanistan.
But who are really responsible – fully or in part – for the present extreme situation in Afghanistan remains complicated and obscure. Terrorist and anti-terrorists are stuck in a surprising battle. The loser and the winner cannot be anticipated. Occasionally, it becomes hard to distinguish between a terrorist and an anti-terrorist. Because always innocent people are killed.
This March, for instance, a NATO sergeant left his military base in the middle of a night in Kandahar to do something amusing: he fired two houses in the nearby village, killing at least 16 people, all innocent, some women, 9 of them children, 4 of them under age 6. Likewise, those young people, the troops, who are sent from across the Europe and other countries to the ‘battleground’ to fight terrorism lose their lives every day. How will the situation change if NATO withdraws in 2014? One thing is certain: The future of the country is very much uncertain.
For those and some other reasons, we are here. We are not able to go back to Afghanistan. We truly hope our voice can be heard and the host government can reconsider their decisions concerning Afghans. Otherwise, how long must we suffer and when and where we can eventually find peace and freedom?
You can help us with your signature and distribution
http://openpetition.de/petition/online/afghanische-fluechtlinge-sollen-…