CHILDREN OUT OF IMMIGRATION

DETENTION CENTRES

We are a group of parents and citizens concerned what is being perpetrated against the children of asylum seekers - in our names. We are looking for other people who care enough to Do Something.

Some facts to consider are:

  • The Child Protection Act has recently been amended making it a prosecutable act for various professionals to fail to notify DOCS of Children at risk.
  • Many children are at risk as noted in the report in March 2001 by the Commonwealth Ombudsman on Immigration Detention Centres (IDCs):
    • "….in June 2000 800 women and children were living in close association with 2,700 men, most of whom were unaccompanied. Women who do not have a partner, family friend or male relative accompanying them and their children, or young unattached children are at greater risk than single men or family units...
    • Evidence taken... together with the appraisal of incidence reports indicates there were a worrying number of indecent assaults and threats towards unattached women and children who represent the groups at highest risk…."

    Who has reported these at risk children to DOCS?

  • Australia is a signatory to the Conventions on Refugees and Rights for the Child which state that:
    • Detention should not, in effect, become punishment for refugees who arrive in a country in breach of immigration regulations
    • Children should be protected against all forms of discrimination or punishment on the basis of the status, activities, expressed opinions, or beliefs of the child's parents
    • Children should only be detained as a last resort and then for a minimal time.
  • Our domestic Immigration Acts directly contravene this by mandating the arbitrary and indefinite detention of children. We are the only western country to adopt this policy. Further, this year’s Immigration Detainees Bill gives the Australian Correctional Management (ACM) officers who staff IDCs authority to strip-search anyone over the age of 10.

If you are comfortable with these double standards being applied to the dehumanised, criminalised children of asylum seekers that is your prerogative. Thank you for taking a few moments to read this. BUT if you are concerned with what is happening and about the nature of the society in which our children are to grow up, lots of us "DOING SOMETHING" can make a difference.

  • What subject matter do your children, or children you know, draw? The drawing above shows: six year old Shayan Badraie and his sister crying, their parents, a ACM guard with a baton, a man with blood coming from his wrist, a razor wire fence and the van is the ambulance that takes Shayan to hospital.
  • There are numerous other cases involving children apart from this disturbed, psychologically damaged little boy. 16 year old Parviz Avesta who has been in Curtin IDC for two years has sewn his lips together as a variation on a hunger strike. His 12 year old sister, Shana, is also on hunger strike.

Whatever your views on our government’s immigration policy there can be no justification for what we are allowing to happen to these children in IDCs, to whom we ALL have a responsibility.

What you can do

  1. Think about it. What must it be like for a child in an IDC? What do we really know about conditions in the IDCs? What should our responsibilities towards them be…...?

    These are real children’s lives we are dealing with.

  2. Talk about it. Try to combat the harsh attitudes created by our government’s mis-information on this issue. Seek to improve the level of debate on this topic.
  3. Lobby. Write letters or emails to the newspapers, Philip Ruddock (email via http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/general/contacts.htm), the Prime Minister, The Opposition Leader , your own MPs to say you are no longer prepared to tolerate Child Refugees being detained on your behalf. Call for an immediate change of policy and for our international commitments to be honoured:

    Hon Philip Ruddock Hon. Con Sciacca

    Minister for Immigration & Multicultural Affairs Shadow Minister for Immigration

    Parliament House Room R2 110, Parliament House

    Canberra ACT 2600 Canberra ACT 2600

    Fax:02 6273 4144 02 6277 8417

  4. If you would like to do even more and are interested in joining our group contact us using the email form built into this site.

    You can make a difference. Together we can make a big difference