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Mary Anne Kenny

@maryannekenny.bsky.social
607 followers 212 following 54 posts

Associate Professor Law at Murdoch University. Interests refugee law, mental health of refugees and asylum seekers, human rights.

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Mary Anne Kenny @maryannekenny.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Minister Burke wants to use detention to encourage visa overstayers to leave. More detention beds may serve as a deterrent, but legal advice, case management, and assisted return programs are more humane and effective tools for compliance. Detention should be a last resort.
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Women for Refugee Women @4refugeewomen.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Women seeking safety in the UK often experience sexual and gender-based violence in their countries of origin, on their journeys to safety, and again in the UK. Yet the latter is often overlooked, with women left with little support to seek justice, to heal, and to recover. 1/🧵
theguardian.com
Female asylum seekers report being sexually assaulted by British men
Women say they are wary of pursuing criminal prosecution of rapes, for fear of having their asylum claims refused
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Refugee Studies Centre @refugeestudies.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
We are pleased to share that Associate Professor Catherine Briddick @catbriddick.bsky.social has taken on the role of Refugee Studies Centre Director. Please join us in welcoming her into this new role. Read more: www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/news/director-cath…
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ABC News Australia @news.abc.net.au · 06/09/2026
Reports employers are increasingly using ABNs to misclassify and underpay migrant workers
abc.net.au
How ABNs are increasingly being used as a tool for exploitation
A cohort of workers in Australia is being short-changed almost $3.2 billion each year — and many bosses are perpetrating the underpayment through 11-digital numbers.
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Timothy Caulfield @caulfieldtim.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
🚨 Yet ANOTHER study finds "NO evidence that rising numbers of undocumented immigrants are linked with violent crime." There has NEVER been evidence to support this racist BS❗ Undocumented migration does not raise crime rates, huge study finds www.nature.com/articles/d41... via @nature.com
nature.com
Undocumented migration does not raise crime rates, huge study finds
Analysis of neighbourhoods in more than 100 US cities finds no evidence that rising numbers of undocumented immigrants are linked with violent crime.
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Susanne Bergsten Park @suzebpark.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Young women who call Sweden home are being deported to countries where their rights, autonomy, and safety may be at risk. Sweden should halt these deportations and ensure return decisions comply with its human rights obligations. More from @hrw.org: www.hrw.org/news/2026/07... #WomensRights
hrw.org
Sweden: Deportation Decisions Ignore Women’s Rights Risks
Sweden is deporting young women to countries where they could face severe gender-based rights violations, Human Rights Watch said today. Media reported that in 2025, at least 92 young adults were set ...
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Nicholas Procter @nicholasprocter.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Community-Based Crisis Care Beyond the Emergency Department: This paper examines the needs, motivations, experiences of people using community-based alternatives to emergency departments and explores how peer support/ lived experience are embedded in these models. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
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Mary Anne Kenny @maryannekenny.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
We are delighted to share this latest article exploring Australia’s evolving “crimmigration” policy in the wake of NZYQ and YBFZ. Great to have worked with Tamara Tulich and Sarah Murray on this article academic.oup.com/ijrl/article...
academic.oup.com
The changing landscape of immigration detention in Australia: preventive ‘crimmigration’ and the legislative response to NZYQ
Abstract. Australia is not alone in facing a decades-long tug of war between the courts, the executive, and parliament over migration policy. In the absenc
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Jane McAdam @profjmcadam.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
$6m gift to UNSW opens the door to university for refugee students. The HMJ Sassafras Scholarship covers tuition, accommodation and living costs for students from refugee and asylum-seeker backgrounds. www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/new...
unsw.edu.au
$6m gift to UNSW opens the door to university for refugee students
The HMJ Sassafras Scholarship covers tuition, accommodation and living costs for students from refugee and asylum-seeker backgrounds.
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Jane McAdam @profjmcadam.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
A new survey of 10,000 migrants reveals exploitation at work is the norm. Here’s how to fix it. Important new research by the Migrant Justice Institute theconversation.com/a-new-survey...
theconversation.com
A new survey of 10,000 migrants reveals exploitation at work is the norm. Here’s how to fix it
Researchers found pervasive worker underpayment in Australia, with two-thirds of temporary visa holders paid less than they were legally owed.
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Jane McAdam @profjmcadam.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Disasters displace two people every second. Yet, a draft treaty on the Protection of Persons in the event of Disasters barely refers to displacement. Our 2-page brief explains why – and how – displacement, evacuations and planned relocations should be added www.unsw.edu.au/kaldor-centr...
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Mary Anne Kenny @maryannekenny.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Undocumented migrants, legal aid and the architecture of structural exclusion www.thejusticegap.com/undocumented...
thejusticegap.com
Undocumented migrants, legal aid and the architecture of structural exclusion – The Justice Gap
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Asylum Seekers Centre @ascsyd.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Did you catch our story in ABC News? More than 100 health workers are calling on the government to ensure people seeking asylum can access healthcare as a quiet crisis unfolds. Healthcare is a human right. It’s time our system treated it that way. Read the full article: loom.ly/yECAlQ4
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Prof GS Gilbert @profgsgilbert.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
The Evacuations Research Hub @kaldorcentre.bsky.social at UNSW Law & Justice is excited to offer two PhD scholarships in law to examine the role of evacuations in different contexts. Applications due 18 May 2026; details here: www.unsw.edu.au/law-justice/...
unsw.edu.au
ARC Laureate Fellowship: PhD Scholarships on Evacuations | UNSW Sydney
UNSW Law & Justice offers two PhD scholarships for researchers who are part of the Evacuations Research Hub . Join our community of scholars today.
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Nicholas Procter @nicholasprocter.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Global catastrophic events have local impact. People with cultural, social and emotional ties to the Middle East may be experiencing distress as events continue to unfold. Here’s a short piece written with @maryannekenny.bsky.social that may be helpful. theconversation.com/how-to-look-...
theconversation.com
How to look after your mental health right now if you have family in the Middle East or another conflict zone
In times like these, validation, human connection and support are some of the best things you can do to protect your own and other people’s mental health.
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UNSW Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law @kaldorcentre.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Our best wishes go out to the members of Iran’s women’s football team granted protection in Australia. Team members could face serious repercussions at home after acts seen as dissent. @sydmorningherald.bsky.social @danghez.bsky.social @maryannekenny.bsky.social www.smh.com.au/national/ira...
smh.com.au
Iran’s brave players have stood tall. Now Australia must stand with them
Both Australia and the Asian Football Confederation are being tested, not just on the pitch, but on whether they will protect the basic rights of athletes who have already shown immense courage.
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UNSW Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law @kaldorcentre.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Brave on the pitch. Uncertain off it. @danghez.bsky.social & @maryannekenny.bsky.social argue Australia must ensure Iran’s women footballers can safely decide their future if returning home could put them at risk. Read in the @sydmorningherald.bsky.social: www.smh.com.au/national/ira...
smh.com.au
Iran’s brave players have stood tall. Now Australia must stand with them
Both Australia and the Asian Football Confederation are being tested, not just on the pitch, but on whether they will protect the basic rights of athletes who have already shown immense courage.
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Madeline Gleeson @madelinegleeson.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
"Every player must be seen privately, informed of her rights, and given genuine access to independent legal advice, free from surveillance and free from coercion" Important analysis from @kaldorcentre.bsky.social Director Daniel Ghezelbash & @maryannekenny.bsky.social www.smh.com.au/national/ira...
smh.com.au
Iran’s brave players have stood tall. Now Australia must stand with them
Both Australia and the Asian Football Confederation are being tested, not just on the pitch, but on whether they will protect the basic rights of athletes who have already shown immense courage.
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UNSW Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law @kaldorcentre.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
What protections exist if athletes fear persecution at home? Kaldor Centre Director @danghez.bsky.social speaks to @theguardian.com about the safety fears facing the #Iran women's national football team and the legal obligations that may arise for Australia. www.theguardian.com/football/202...
theguardian.com
Time is running out for the Iranian women’s football team as fears for their safety grow | Jack Snape
There are urgent calls for Australia to take action before the team return to Iran but with no word from the players themselves the situation is fraught and uncertain
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Free Movement @freemovement.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
From last week: New report calls for overhaul of flawed age assessment process for unaccompanied children | Jasmine Quiller-Doust
freemovement.org.uk
New report calls for overhaul of flawed age assessment process for unaccompanied children - Free Movement
A briefing on the National Age Assessment Board raises concerns about poor decision making in the age determination process, putting hundreds of children at
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Nicholas Procter @nicholasprocter.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
People with emotional ties to the Middle East may experience distress watching unfolding events. Global catastrophic events have local significance and impact, alongside concern about the safety of loved ones. Here is a short piece that some may find helpful. theconversation.com/how-to-look-...
theconversation.com
How to look after your mental health right now if you have family in the Middle East or another conflict zone
In times like these, validation, human connection and support are some of the best things you can do to protect your own and other people’s mental health.
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
"The most important part of the international refugee protection order is the principle that it provides protection." My piece for @bylinetimes.bsky.social on how inhumane and counterproductive Labour's latest changes to the asylum system are in every possible way. bylinetimes.com/2026/03/03/s...
bylinetimes.com
'Shabana Mahmood’s Asylum Plans Will Put Lives at Risk for No Purpose'
The Government talks about wanting to reduce division and increase integration and then implements policies which will do the complete opposite, argues Daniel Sohege
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Mary Anne Kenny @maryannekenny.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
People with close personal or family connections to the Middle East may feel deep distress right now. Global crises are not distant for everyone. The short piece below written with and led by @nicholasprocter.bsky.social may offer some support. theconversation.com/how-to-look-...
theconversation.com
How to look after your mental health right now if you have family in the Middle East or another conflict zone
In times like these, validation, human connection and support are some of the best things you can do to protect your own and other people’s mental health.
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
Deaths in channel are preventable, but require governments to focus on ensuring people can seek asylum. It's repeatedly shown that hostile measures increase death tolls. Labour's decision to halt family reunification alone is already putting more children at risk. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Deaths of 22 children in Channel due to ‘catastrophic failure’ by UK and France, NGO says
Project Play finds UK taxpayers are funding ‘record child fatalities’ and ‘repeated violence’ against children in northern France
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
Quite clearly the US-Israeli attacks are in breach of the prohibition of the use of force. There are two exceptions: a UNSC resolution (which we do not have) and self-defence /1
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InfoMigrants @infomigrants.net · 04/02/2026
Only four percent of the over 17,000 unaccompanied foreign minors hosted in Italy in 2025 lived with a foster family, according to a new study by UNICEF and the National Coordination of Care Communities (CNCA). www.infomigrants.net/en/post/6963...
infomigrants.net
Unaccompanied foreign minors in Italy: Only a small fraction lived with foster families in 2025
A study recently published by UNICEF and the National Coordination of Care Communities (CNCA) has revealed that only 4 percent of the over 17,000 unaccompanied foreign minors hosted in Italy in 2025 l...
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Melissa Stewart @melissastewart.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
The Gambia rightly argues, as the IIFFMM also observed, that discriminatory denial of citizenship can be a part of the evidence of pattern in which one could infer genocidal intent. I've been working on a bigger project on statelessness and genocide so I am watching this issue closely.
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Colin Yeo @colinyeo.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
In case you missed it: “They treat us like criminals”: racism at the France-UK border | Haleemah Alaydi
freemovement.org.uk
“They treat us like criminals”: racism at the France-UK border - Free Movement
The dehumanising conditions facing refugees and asylum seekers in Calais, northern France, expose how racialised border practices including surveillance,
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Mary Anne Kenny @maryannekenny.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
Well said thank you for referencing ‘lethal hopelessness’ and giving an overall excellent answer evidence based response.
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UNSW Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law @kaldorcentre.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
WATCH: The UK plans for refugee protection will harm people without achieving the govt's stated goals, according to the #auspol evidence, says @danghez.bsky.social on ABC News24. youtu.be/d-6TCgMWgX8?... via @YouTube
youtu.be
Kaldor Centre Director Daniel Ghezelbash on UK plans to restrict refugee status
YouTube video by UNSW Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law
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Women for Refugee Women @4refugeewomen.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
🚨The Home Secretary said "illegal migration is dividing our country." Let’s be clear: the only thing dividing our country is a politics devoid of humanity and compassion. The plans announced today are a cruel political choice. It is #NotInOurName. www.refugeewomen.co.uk/morally-and-... 1/🧵
refugeewomen.co.uk
Women for Refugee Women : Morally and ethically bankrupt: Our response to the Government's announcement 17 November 2026
The Government has announced sweeping plans to overhaul refugee protection in the UK -  some of the most hostile we have seen in recent years. We are outraged, saddened, and extremely concerned.
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Mary Anne Kenny @maryannekenny.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
Great commentary by @danghez.bsky.social from @kaldorcentre.bsky.social
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Senthorun S. Raj @senthorun.bsky.social · 05/10/2025
“The current members of the Supreme Court, ten men and two women, all of them white, seem to regard the Human Rights Act as an unwelcome remnant of a past era.” Prof Conor Gearty’s final essay in @lrb.co.uk is a painfully clear analysis of how the UK Supreme Court is depressing human rights norms.
lrb.co.uk
Conor Gearty · Unwelcome Remnant: Erasing the Human Rights Act
The Supreme Court is quietly editing the Human Rights Act out of existence. In cases where human rights cannot be...
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Mary Anne Kenny @maryannekenny.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
‘The recent expansion of detention and deportations reflects an accelerated criminalisation and punishment of non-citizens, tied to a rising authoritarianism across purportedly liberal Western countries.’ theconversation.com/around-the-w...
theconversation.com
Around the world, migrants are being deported at alarming rates – how did this become normalised?
The US, UK and Australia are all expanding efforts to deport non-citizens, reframing the act of seeking asylum from a human right to a criminal act.
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Michael Kagan @michaelgkagan.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
71.5% of current ICE detainees have no criminal convictions tracreports.org/immigration/...
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Phil Cole @phillcole40.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
More than 150 lawyers and refugee NGOs report being ‘pressured into silence’ by far-right protesters. At least two groups supporting UK asylum seekers have closed their offices after credible threats to their safety www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
theguardian.com
More than 150 lawyers and refugee NGOs report being ‘pressured into silence’ by far-right protesters
At least two groups supporting UK asylum seekers have closed their offices after credible threats to their safety
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Nicholas Procter @nicholasprocter.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Stories about cost-of-living often focus on Australians’ hip pockets. But what about the impact on our mental health? The National Mental Health Commission’s “report card” shows financial stress has taken a significant toll in recent years. theconversation.com/financial-st...
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Belfast Telegraph @belfasttelegraph.co.uk · 10/09/2025
Read Lee's account in full
belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Horrors of Trump detention centre: Lisburn man tells his story after arrest for 'looking like a Mexican'
A Co Antrim man lifted by US immigration police on an American street — in an incident he compared to a kidnapping — and then sent to a detention centre has described being deported back to Northern I...
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Refugee Council of Australia @refugeecouncilau.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
We oppose the Government's Nauru arrangement and Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2025 Measures No. 1) Bill 2025, that would allow for circumventing rules of natural justice and procedural fairness when deporting people to Nauru and other 3rd countries. www.refugeecouncil.org.au/letter-nauru...
refugeecouncil.org.au
Our letter to Parliamentarians regarding arrangement with Nauru
The Refugee Council of Australia has written to Parliamentarians to express our opposition the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2025 Measures No. 1) Bill
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Lisa van Toor @lisa-vantoor.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
@maryannekenny.bsky.social and I have written a commentary unpacking the Australian government's new deal to send over 350 non-citizens from the NZYQ cohort to Nauru and the proposed laws to remove the requirement for procedural fairness of these decisions. theconversation.com/by-sending-n...
theconversation.com
By sending non-visa holders to Nauru, Australia is shifting its responsibilities
The non-citizens in the NZYQ group cannot be returned to their country of origin. But sending them to Nauru just pushes the issue onto a poorer country.
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Mary Anne Kenny @maryannekenny.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
A quick brief analysis of the ongoing arrangement to send people to Nauru, co-written with @lisa-vantoor.bsky.social theconversation.com/by-sending-n...
theconversation.com
By sending non-visa holders to Nauru, Australia is shifting its responsibilities
The non-citizens in the NZYQ group cannot be returned to their country of origin. But sending them to Nauru just pushes the issue onto a poorer country.
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Jane McAdam @profjmcadam.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
For decades now, public discourse about refugees and immigrants has become increasingly fractured, ugly and untrue. But just as government messaging has partly contributed to this situation, it could also help get us out of it. I explain how: theconversation.com/politicians-...
theconversation.com
Politicians have scapegoated immigration for decades. It’s time to flip the script
Anti-immigration rallies across Australia are the culmination of years of political scaremongering. But better immigration messaging could change the trajectory.
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UNSW Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law @kaldorcentre.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
By sending non-visa holders to Nauru, Australia is shifting its responsibilities, write Kaldor Centre PhD @lisa-vantoor.bsky.social and affiliate @maryannekenny.bsky.social – an important piece to help you understand what's at stake in parliament this week theconversation.com/by-sending-n...
theconversation.com
By sending non-visa holders to Nauru, Australia is shifting its responsibilities
The non-citizens in the NZYQ group cannot be returned to their country of origin. But sending them to Nauru just pushes the issue onto a poorer country.
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Nicholas Procter @nicholasprocter.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
What happens to legal professionals when they are exposed to stories of fear, despair, mental distress from people of refugee background who an endure insecure and uncertain visa status? Here @maryannekenny.bsky.social explains. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
A Mixed Methods Inquiry into How Legal Professionals Respond to Recurring Trauma and Mental Distress among Refugees and Asylum Seekers with Insecure Visa Status in Australia
The aim of this study was to investigate how legal professionals in Australia responded to the mental distress experienced by clients with insecure visa status in the Fast Track Assessment (FTA) proc...
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Jane McAdam @profjmcadam.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
500+ Master’s scholarships available for African refugee and displaced students at 25+ universities worldwide www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/news/rlrh-la...
rsc.ox.ac.uk
RLRH launches new round of Graduate Horizons application support scheme
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Senthorun S. Raj @senthorun.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
“After years of criticizing universities for their supposed stifling of free speech, conservatives now in power are weaponizing anti-discrimination law to quash student protests and eliminate diversity initiatives.” We must defend our rights to speak out against racism, genocide, and inequality.
theverge.com
Universities are giving up the fight for free speech — students aren’t
“We don’t have the luxury of inaction.“
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Nicholas Procter @nicholasprocter.bsky.social · 05/07/2025
67 countries criminalise people for their sexual orientation, with punishments ranging from months behind bars to a life sentence. In some places, it's the death penalty. @maryannekenny.bsky.social www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...
abc.net.au
Refugee legal service reports spike in LGBTQIA+ clients who 'fear for their life'
The Tasmanian Refugee Legal Service (TRLS) is representing a growing number of LGBTQIA+ clients seeking asylum who fear persecution in their home country.
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Nicholas Procter @nicholasprocter.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
How to look after your mental health right now if you have family in the Middle East or another conflict zone theconversation.com/how-to-look-... @maryannekenny.bsky.social
theconversation.com
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