Marist Justice & Peace groups from Holy Name of Mary parish, Hunters Hill, NSW, the Marist Sisters and the Marist Fathers combined to host an afternoon event at the Holy Name of Mary parish hall in Hunters Hill on Oct 19.

The afternoon was introduced by Sr Vivienne Goldstein SM and parish priest, Fr Kevin Bates SM. Keynote speakers were Prof Louise Newman from the Centre for Developmental Psychiatry & Psychology at Monash University, Vic, and Abdi Aden, Somalian refugee, arriving in Australia in the 1990s as a young teenager. Prof Newman shared her experiences of working with children in detention outlining the trauma these children experience.  Abdi spoke of his own journey of escaping from Somali and seeking asylum as a young child.

Girls from Monte Sant’ Angelo school gave first hand reflections of their ‘detention cage’ experiences at school, simulating the plight of detained asylum seekers.