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Comments made this week by Immigration Minister, Amanda Vanstone in the Senate regarding the health and welfare of pregnant women in Australian Detention Centres were nothing short of ludicrous and heartless. Lynda Smith, a North Coast Refugee Support Worker said Senator Vanstone's comments displayed a grave lack of understanding of her recently aquired portfolio and indicated that she was out of touch with the reality of the suffering of these women. Senator Vanstone states that pregnant women need special care and that care is provided, however independant investigations and constant monitoring by professional welfare groups have found otherwise.

 

"How can Australia continue to ignore cases such as Baby Salima who is now suffering mental and physical retardation as a direct result of her restricted development?"  Salima's mother who has not spoken in any language in the last 16 months, remains in a darkened room at the Baxter Detention Centre in S.A.  Her worsening depression has impacted drastically on the family which includes 2 other children.  Is this what Senator Vanstone calls "a generous,  robust and ordered immigration system"? Ms Smith asked.

 

Ms Smith warned that Australia faced compensation claims from asylum seekers that will run into the millions of $'s and cited this week's lodgement in the NSW Supreme Court on behalf of  8 year old Shayan Badraie who is suing the Federal Government over the allegedly catastrophic physical and psychological consequences of his incarceration.  "This will be the first of many to come and through the course of the claims, truth will prevail" she said. 

 

Dr Sev Ozdowski, the Federal Human Rights Commissioner said recently that Australia's detention system is the harshest in the world and states that the levels of despair was unseen in detention camps elsewhere. Dr. Ozdowsi will have his findings tabled in Federal Parliament early next year.

 

Photograph of Baby Salima aged 3 days old (Courtesy of UniSA Circle of Friends)