I’ve been steadfastly refusing to engage with the stories about refugees in the media for some time now.  Child abuse and rape on Manus and Nauru, bribing boats to turn around, the ‘Cambodia Deal’, boats which have apparently miraculously stopped. I saw the headlines, I saw the stories, but I couldn’t bring myself to engage. Even yesterday, when photos of a tiny child washed up on a beach were circulating, I resolutely closed my eyes and scrolled past.

Am I a cold-hearted, unfeeling monster? Do I not care about the plight of millions of people around the world, and many in my own backyard, suffering and dying trying to exercise their fundamental human right to seek asylum or refuge?