People walking around the CBD towards the end of the month may find themselves confronted by a new art piece – a large cage, filled with hundreds of dolls, symbolising the children currently in Australian detention centres. The public is invited to experience stepping inside the cage (pictured above), and removing one of the dolls, symbolically setting the child free.
The experience aims to show that all children have rights – even those seeking asylum. The installation was organised by the Australian Coalition to End Immigration Detention of Children (ACEIDC). ACEIDC, which includes the Uniting Church in Australia, works to stop the immigration detention of children in Australia.
By allowing people to engage positively with the issue, ACEIDC hopes that conversations will be inspired in the Australian public. Above all, they want people to realise that it is an issue of child rights. As well as raising awareness, people can fill out postcards to the Minister for Immigration.
ACEIDC is encouraging people throughout Victoria to host the installation, especially in regional areas. Interested groups will need two people to coordinate the experience, and a team of volunteers to support the action. They will also need to get permission for use of a public space, and to publicise the event in their local area.
The installation will be coming to Victoria from 19 October – 1 December. It will be in the Melbourne CBD from 20 – 23 November, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
To volunteer or for more information, contact Jill Ruzbacky, by email jill.ruzbacky@victas.uca.org.au or phone 9251 5266.
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