If I tell my story...
"I will live free if I tell my story..."
This is what it comes down to for asylum seekers in the states. It is both a beautiful statement, and a dreadful one.
Beautiful in that by merely proclaiming truth, revealing what was hidden, exposing evil and acknowledging the past publicly, a person may be able to experience freedom from persecution, torment and the threat of death for the first time in years...sometimes decades. The idea of claiming human rights, making a life for oneself and pursuing dreams can become a reality here in the states where it is not a reality in so many other places.
Dreadful in that by going through this process of applying for asylum, you are setting yourself up to face the firing squad of legal investigation, exposing your most vulnerable emotional, mental and sometimes physical wounds for many to see on numerous occasions, all while you may be suffering with too many symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and culture shock to think straight or function normally. This is a process where you must relive coming face to face with your worst fears; the things that you are trying to escape from. Functioning on limited resources, often not understanding the english language, depending on others to navigate you through this process while your life is on hold for about 2 years; the odds are stacked against you in the post 9/11 American society. If you think this country is going to grant you asylum, you better have some pretty darn good evidence why your life is in danger and that you have no place else to go.
The therapists in our office have to be careful not to re-traumatize our clients by forcing them to speak about their past traumas when they are not ready, when they are suffering from the fight, flight or freeze mentality that kicks in (differently for each person) when you are severly threatened or traumatized and can linger for many years or even the rest of your life. At the same time, they must be mindful that the reality is these asylum candidates must recall their experiences and be able to testify about them down to the details in order to receive the protection they seek.
But, the light at the end of the tunnel promises freedom (for the percentage of asylum candidates granted). I hope that for most of our clients in Jersey City, they truly will be able to live free one day.
(Currently, most the clients I interact with are from Chad and other countries such as the Congo, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Egypt, Kenya and Rwanda.)
This is what it comes down to for asylum seekers in the states. It is both a beautiful statement, and a dreadful one.
Beautiful in that by merely proclaiming truth, revealing what was hidden, exposing evil and acknowledging the past publicly, a person may be able to experience freedom from persecution, torment and the threat of death for the first time in years...sometimes decades. The idea of claiming human rights, making a life for oneself and pursuing dreams can become a reality here in the states where it is not a reality in so many other places.
Dreadful in that by going through this process of applying for asylum, you are setting yourself up to face the firing squad of legal investigation, exposing your most vulnerable emotional, mental and sometimes physical wounds for many to see on numerous occasions, all while you may be suffering with too many symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and culture shock to think straight or function normally. This is a process where you must relive coming face to face with your worst fears; the things that you are trying to escape from. Functioning on limited resources, often not understanding the english language, depending on others to navigate you through this process while your life is on hold for about 2 years; the odds are stacked against you in the post 9/11 American society. If you think this country is going to grant you asylum, you better have some pretty darn good evidence why your life is in danger and that you have no place else to go.
The therapists in our office have to be careful not to re-traumatize our clients by forcing them to speak about their past traumas when they are not ready, when they are suffering from the fight, flight or freeze mentality that kicks in (differently for each person) when you are severly threatened or traumatized and can linger for many years or even the rest of your life. At the same time, they must be mindful that the reality is these asylum candidates must recall their experiences and be able to testify about them down to the details in order to receive the protection they seek.
But, the light at the end of the tunnel promises freedom (for the percentage of asylum candidates granted). I hope that for most of our clients in Jersey City, they truly will be able to live free one day.
(Currently, most the clients I interact with are from Chad and other countries such as the Congo, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Egypt, Kenya and Rwanda.)
posted by jdances | 20.11.06
1 Comments:
Ah Janelle, I am so glad you put up this site. There are so many things I want to talk to you about regarding asylum and refugee policy. Its a messy cross-section of politics, trauma, xenophobia, hope and fear... So many hard questions and stories. Thank you for spreading awareness.
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