Young people around Australia ask the government the question: "how can you justify locking up children?"
Children and young people from around Australia express their concern about the government policy of detaining asylum seeker children. When the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission (HREOC) announced its Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention, the United Nations Youth Association (UNYA) sent out a request for young people to send their opinions on this issue. The young people who wrote to UNYA and Amnesty International were unanimous in their belief that children who have committed no crime should not be detained. A girl from St Michael's College in Brisbane wrote "As young people we feel accountable and guilty for the young people so similar to ourselves. Why should we be the lucky ones born outside the fence?" More...
Australian Press Council adjudicates on use of "illegal immigrant"
Correction: headline was wrong
Ms Wroblewski complained to the council about the headline on the Herald's website, smh.com.au - "Illegal immigrant children may not be sent home" - which appeared on April 30, 2004, on an article about the High Court's overruling of a previous Family Court decision to release children from the Baxter detention centre. [...] In this instance, the paper acknowledged that "illegal immigrants" was an incorrect description of the asylum seekers and conceded that it should have used its preferred term "asylum seekers".
Read the guideline issued in response
Chilout Ambassadors' Visit to Canberra
View the reports from our teenage Ambassadors who on Thursday 11 March 2004, visited Parliament House to ask politicians, including the Minister for Immigration, Senator Amanda Vanstone, to release all children from immigration detention. The Ambassadors presented signatures from over 5,000 Australian children, calling for a permanent end to the detention of children and their families.Report of an inquiry into a complaint by Ms KJ concerning events at Woomera Immigration Reception and Processing Centre between 29-30 March 2002
Read the HREOC Report of an inquiry into a complaint by a detainee mother
concerning events at Woomera between 29-30 March 2002, regarding her 7 year old son (MJ) being assaulted with a baton by an ACM officer. HREOC found that MJ was assaulted with a baton by an ACM officer; and that act was contrary to MJ's human rights.
US Department of State - Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2003 - Australia
Excerpt from section d of report:
The country's immigration laws and detention policy continued to be criticized by human rights and refugee advocacy groups, who charged that the sometimes lengthy detentions violated the human rights of asylum seekers. In November and December, detainees at W.A.'s Port Hedland detention center rioted over the length of time they had been in detention. In October, the Federal Human Rights Commissioner, who had monitored detention center conditions over the previous 5 years, stated that the Government's treatment of the detainees was harsh with respect to their length of time in detention; that immigration officials showed a lack of interest in improving the detainees' situation; and that human rights abuses had occurred during riots at the detention centers in 2001. The Government rejected this criticism.
In 2002, both the High Commissioner for Human Rights Special Envoy to Australia and the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) investigated conditions in the detention centers and expressed concerns about the psychological impact that prolonged detention was having on asylum seekers, in particular children, unaccompanied minors, the elderly, and those with disabilities. The Government rejected this criticism, but implemented improvements to facilities and services (see Section 1.d.).
View full report: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003/27763.htm
JSCFADT Human Rights Sub-Committee Statement
In October 2003, Parliament's Human Rights Sub-Committee issued a statement on its recent activities concerning conditions within immigration detention centres and the treatment of detainees. Read the statement...
LIVING WITHOUT ROOTS
A Queensland report on the needs of people who have been granted Temporary Protection Visas.
Key findings of the research are:
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A clearly identified desire for most Temporary Protection Visa Holders to not only gain but, more importantly, remain in meaningful employment as a key step in their struggle to achieve settlement and integration.
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An urgent need for Refugees who are holders of Temporary Protection Visas to obtain resolution as to the ongoing uncertainty of their status as defined by the Temporary Protection Visa.
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A recognition that those engaged in assisting and supporting the Refugees who are holders of Temporary Protection Visas, be they paid or voluntary, need to demonstrate a depth of professional understanding and compassion in recognition of the unique status of the Temporary Protection Visa Holders in this community.
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A need for Temporary Protection Visa holders themselves to have a physical location whereby they may maintain their cultural links but at the same time, productively engage in interaction with the greater Australian community.
Download report: LivingWithoutRoots.doc
Executive summary in Arabic: LWRArabic.doc
Executive summary in Dari: LWRDari.doc
Executive summary in Farsi: LWRFarsi.doc
NO LIABILITY: TRAGIC RESULTS FROM AUSTRALIA'S DEPORTATIONS
Interim report of the Edmund Rice Centre into the process and aftermath of deportations of asylum seekers
Reports of death, disappearance, imprisonment and torture, of fear-filled lives spent in hiding, privation and despair have filtered back to Australia about some people Australia has removed after disallowing their claims for protection on refugee or humanitarian grounds. More...
A child in detention: dilemmas faced by health professionals
Karen J Zwi, Brenda Herzberg, David Dossetor and Jyotsna Field
The Medical Journal of Australia MJA 2003; 179 (6): 319-322
A 6-year-old child, held in detention with his parents pending the outcome of their application for refugee status, manifested psychological distress by repeated episodes of refusing to eat or drink. This case presented clinical and ethical dilemmas for health professionals who were constrained from acting in the child’s best interests by government policy of mandatory detention.
The Heart of a Nation's Existence
ChilOut (Children Out of Detention) has today released its report, The Heart of a Nation's Existence, which outlines publicly available, overwhelming and damning evidence that immigration detention centres damage children and that the previous government contractor ACM (Australasian Correctional Management) which managed the mainland centres until recently, did not meet the minimum standards of its contract.
Download: ChilOut_report_to_DIMIA.doc
Download: PressRelease2003-05-27.doc
View DIMIA response to ChilOut's report...
See also...
Immigration: Ruddock's secret report
A damning review of outbreaks and riots in detention centres previously operated by Australasian Correctional Management (ACM) has revealed big problems with the way the centres were run and managed.
Temporary Protection - Permanent Uncertainty: The experience of refugees living on temporary protection visas.
"While the plight of refugees in the community may be less visible than people being held in detention centres in the desert, this report shows that Commonwealth Government policy is still denying refugees a sense of certainty, hope and material security. Many refugees now live with what they describe as ‘secondary detention’. The central and common concern for all refugees involved in the study was the ongoing uncertainty created by the TPV policy. Uncertainty is an obvious outcome of a policy regime that places people in a state of limbo for a minimum of three years. This report highlights the immediate and longer-term consequences of this policy."
Download report cover page: TemporaryProtectionCover.pdf
Download report: TemporaryProtectionJune03.pdf
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH COMMENTARY ON AUSTRALIA'S TEMPORARY PROTECTION VISAS FOR REFUGEES
Download a copy: http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/refugees/australia051303.pdf
Australia is the only country to grant temporary status to refugees who have been through a full asylum determination system and who have been recognized as genuinely in need of protection for 1951 Refugee Convention reasons.
Contrast with The Council of the European Union, on minimum standards for giving temporary protection: dir-2001-55-ce_en.pdf
THE POLITICS OF EXCLUSION AND DENIAL: THE MENTAL HEALTH COSTS OF AUSTRALIA’S REFUGEE POLICY
"[...] the investigators had observed cases of separation anxiety, disruptive conduct, nocturnal enuresis, sleep disturbances, nightmares and night terrors, sleepwalking, and impaired cognitive development. On the basis of clinical impressions, Dr Sarah Mares and colleagues concluded that children in detention are at high risk of emotional trauma since parents are unable to provide for them adequately or to shield them from acts of violence in a degrading, hostile and hopeless environment."
Read Zachary Steel's paper: RANZCP10-14May2003 Paper.doc
HREOC's National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
This inquiry was conducted in 2002-03 by HREOC. Read the transcripts.
Read the transcript of HREOC's questioning of ACM. Read what ex-ACM staff had to say about treatment of detainee children. Read the public submissions. Read the Department of Immigration's submission.
Click here for an update on the progress of the Inquiry.
HREOC's Asylum Seekers page has lots of reports on detention centres.
Racism in Australia: findings of a survey on racist attitudes and experiences of racism
Between Iraq and A Hard Place
Oxfam Community Aid Abroad and A Just Australia highlight the vast contradictions in the Australian Government’s reasons for participation in the Iraq war and its responses to Iraqi asylum seekers fleeing Iraq since the mid-1990s.
The terrifying sadness of Baxter
The encircling 3000 volt fence, the intimidating eye of the cameras, featureless walls that block out any view, unable to see from one compound into another, unable to see the horizon, you have no frame of reference to prove that you are anywhere in the world, except for a small patch of sky. With no traffic between compounds allowed and all doors within the camp operated automatically from a central control station, it’s altogether a destroying, pressure cooker environment.
Report of an inquiry into a complaint by Mr Mohammed Badraie
Report of an inquiry into a complaint by Mr Mohammed Badraie on behalf of his son Shayan regarding acts or practices of the Commonwealth of Australia (the Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs)
HREOC Report No. 25
Kids speak out about life in immigration detention centres
The NSW Commission for Children and Young People asked refugee kids about their
experiences in detention. Hear it in their own words.
Human Rights and Immigration Detention in Australia
Download a copy: BhagwatiReportJuly2002.pdf
Howard Government is Defending the Indefensible: UN's Damning Judgement on Detention Centres: "Inhumane and Degrading"
Rights Envoy Finds More Humane Approach To Illegal Immigration In Australia "Would Be Desirable"
ChilOut's submission to HREOC's National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
Sen. Lyn Allison's draft report on Maribyrnong Detention Centre May
'Head counts' are officially taken every 2 hours throughout the night although detainees say these are much more frequent when certain guards are on duty. [...] The night-time headcounts involve guards entering bedrooms with torches. Guards say torches are shone onto the ceiling but detainees say they are often shone directly into their faces by particular officers. Blankets are pulled back by guards if this is necessary to see the face of the detainee.
Download a copy: PDF Format
Refugee Council of Australia's reflections on the 2002-2003 federal budget
Download a copy: PDF FormatThe Federal Budget handed down on 14th May was arguably the most anti-refugee budget yet delivered by a Government not known for its commitment to refugee protection. It enshrines Fortress Australia and confirms the Governments determination to do everything possible to keep out anyone who might need help.
The Mental Health Effects of Immigration Detention Centres on Children and Young People.
Summary for Dr Bhagwati and Matthias Behnke, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Download a copy: HarmsDoneToChildrenInDetention.pdf
What is observed in the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) Population, how the detention environment creates and aggravates mental disorders, long-term mental health consequences of detention.
Still Drifting: Australia's Pacific Solution becomes "A Pacific Nightmare"
An Oxfam Community Aid Abroad Report
In June 2002, the President of Nauru Rene Harris described Australia's so-called "Pacific Solution" to the refugee issue as "a Pacific nightmare". [...] Statements about the "Pacific nightmare" reflect growing anger in the Pacific region that Australia is acting in its own interest, without concern for the dignity and development of neighbouring Pacific countries.
Adrift in the Pacific - The Implications of Australia's Pacific Refugee Solution
An Oxfam Community Aid Abroad Report
Oxfam Community Aid Abroad believes that the so-called "Pacific solution" is no solution to the issues raised by the Tampa crisis. It is important that Australia develop new policy on asylum seekers in the Pacific region, based on humane and sustainable alternatives.
Sea Change: Australia's New Approach to Asylum Seekers
Download a copy: USCRAustralia.pdf (48 page report in PDF format)
This report presents a comprehensive analysis of Australia's current policy on asylum seekers. It concludes with recommendations to both the Australian and Indonesian governments.
"At a minimum, Australia should adopt alternatives to detention that do not require the separation of families and that allow both adults and children to make productive use of their time pending a decision."
Founded in 1958, the U.S. Committee for Refugees is a non-governmental, non-profit agency dedicated to defending the rights of uprooted peoples worldwide. Visit the USCR Web site
Refugee and Asylum Seeker Policy in Australia
Research, Analysis and Recommendations Undertaken for the Independent Education Union by The Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education, February 26, 2002.
Download a copy: ercResearch.pdf (25 page report in PDF format)
Serious doubts have been raised over the sustainability and effectiveness of what has become one of the most expensive and draconian refugee policies in the Western world.
Report of visit in January 2002 to Woomera Immigration Detention Centre by HREOC officers
The five day assessment was extremely thorough and included interviews with children, children with their family, parents, single men and women; in all, eleven families were interviewed and approximately twenty children.
All members of the Commission met on Friday 1 February to consider the report of the visit. Based on the evidence provided to it, the Commission concluded that there are clear breaches of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Australia is a signatory.
A Report on Visits to Immigration Detention Facilities 2001 by the Human Rights Commissioner
"[This report] aims to remind us all of our responsibility to ensure the human rights of people who come to our shores seeking protection. Although not all of them may be granted refugee status in Australia, all have a right to be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person during their stay here. While in detention, they are completely dependent on the Australian government’s commitment to maintaining human rights standards. They have limited means of voicing their concerns. This report seeks to give some voice to their experiences and to remind us all of how to translate our commitments into practice."
Read the report...
A report on visits to immigration detention centres
In June 2001, Parliament's Human Rights Sub-Committee presented "A report on visits to immigration detention centres" to both Houses of Parliament.
Read the report...
Asylum seekers in Australia
The medical profession can assist by reinforcing the principle of healthcare as a right, and opposing policies that contribute to poor health
Mitchell M Smith, Director, NSW Refugee Health Service, Sydney, NSW
MJA 2001; 175: 587-589
The mental health implications of detaining asylum seekers
In the year when we should be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Refugee Convention, we appear instead to be ignoring the lessons of history.
Zachary Steel and Derrick M Silove
MJA 2001; 175: 596-599
Psychological disturbances in asylum seekers held in long term detention
Confinement in immigration detention centres for extended periods of time can have severe, psychologically disabling effects on asylum seekers.
Aamer Sultan and Kevin O'Sullivan
MJA 2001; 175: 593-596.
Those who've come across the seas: detention of unauthorised arrivals
HREOC's report "Those who've come across the seas: detention of unauthorised
arrivals" was tabled in federal Parliament on 12 May 1998. The report deals with the
policy of mandatory detention of most unauthorised arrivals and the conditions of detention for those detained.