By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
SEVERAL well-publicised suicides and self-harm incidents among Tamil asylum seekers have shocked Eelam Tamil Association Victoria into action.
President Param Paramanathan presents a grim visage as he recounts a man’s death and two hospitalisations due to self-immolation in the past year, with many more attempts under the radar.
“Seriously it’s a huge problem at the moment. People who have arrived in the past 12 to 18 months are in a very desperate situation.
“It’s awful. We will try to stop it at any cost.
“We often don’t know which people need our help until it’s too late.”
The association last week received a grant from South Eastern Melbourne Medicare Local for its Prevention of Suicide and Self-harm Project.
The project will use volunteer Tamil counsellors and doctors to support more than 300 asylum-seekers in Melbourne, many of whom have not sought counselling.
“We’re bringing together those who have and those who don’t have.”
Using its Tamil contacts, the association will promote mental health awareness and encourage asylum seekers to seek help.
He said Tamils were rallying to the cause, volunteering to run activities, English language classes and employment skills training to bolster spirits among asylum seekers.
Mr Paramanathan said the self-harming stemmed from anxiety and depression – a despair that had grown from not being allowed to work, living on an inadequate handout and not knowing if they would be sent back into the dangers they faced in Sri Lanka.
“You have six or seven people sharing a small house with nothing to do, getting into bad habits like drugs.
“Depression has different levels. Some people turn to others, some don’t talk to other people; some get our help, some we don’t get to meet until they’ve tried to commit suicide.”
Mr Paramanathan said some of the asylum seekers had first escaped to India, Malaysia and Indonesia – countries that unlike Australia aren’t signatories to the UN Refugee Convention and don’t accept would-be refugees.
“Some of them have been informed by the (Australian) immigration department they have to go back. The reason they ran away from Sri Lanka in the first place was because it wasn’t safe.”
