Launch of ‘Getting My Dignity Back: A Report into Behind the Wire’

On Thursday 27 April,  the report 'Getting my Dignity Back' was launched at Melbourne Law School, co-hosted by the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness and the Melbourne Social Equity Institute.

Behind the Wire is an award-winning oral history project which documented the stories of people who were detained by the Australian government after seeking asylum in Australia. Founded in 2014, Behind the Wire has shared these stories through a website, book, podcast, and exhibition. The report is based on interviews by University of Melbourne researchers exploring the experiences of 10 people who participated in the Behind the Wire project. These interviews found that the project successfully provided accounts of multiple histories; a space for self-expression, connection and personal growth; and a way for people to be politically active and express support and solidarity. ‘Behind the Wire’ is at once a political project and a work of art, and ‘Getting My Dignity Back’ shares participants’ experiences and ideas and shows the profound impacts that it had.