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Complaints

Asylum Seekers and Refugees

Detention shame: children, mothers self-harming

By Gillian Triggs

Posted 24 Jul 2014, 3:48pm

Photo: A drawing by a child in the Christmas Island detention centre in 2014. (Supplied: Australian Human Rights Commission)

Asylum seeker children and their families in detention on Christmas Island are plagued by despair and helplessness - and the situation is only deteriorating, writes Gillian Triggs.

A team from the Australian Human Rights Commission has just returned from Christmas Island where we met extremely distressed mothers and children - including a number of young mothers on 24-hour suicide watch.

Commission’s previous work on children in immigration detention

Tuesday 5 August, 2014

The Commission has long held serious concerns about the impact of Australia’s mandatory immigration detention system, particularly on children.

In 1999-2000 the numbers of children in detention began to significantly increase. In November 2001, when there were over 700 children in detention, Human Rights Commissioner Dr Sev Ozdowski announced an inquiry into children in immigration detention. The Inquiry published its report, A last resort? National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention, in April 2004.

Handout for hearing: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention 2014

Wednesday 9 July, 2014

Key Statistics:

  • 983 children in immigration detention: 775 children are held in locked immigration detention facilities in Australian territories and 208 children are held in detention in Nauru (as at 31 May 2014)
  • 304 children are detained on Christmas Island as at 31 March 2014 and are subject to offshore transfer to Nauru as prescribed by Australian Government policy
  • 54 unaccompanied children are held in immigration detention facilities in Australia (as at 31 March 2014)

Submissions made to the inquiry

Thursday 12 June, 2014

Please note: In accordance with the terms of the submissions process, the inquiry has:

  • not listed below or published any confidential submissions; and
  • in some cases, edited or not published (where an edited copy could not reasonably be published) the non-confidential submissions, in order to protect the identity of the authors, third parties, or where otherwise appropriate.

The Commission notes that the submissions listed below may contain errors. The submissions do not represent the views of the Commission.

Transcripts from the inquiry's public hearings

Wednesday 11 June, 2014

Public Hearing in Sydney, Tuesday, 9 September 2014

 The fifth public hearing of the inquiry was held at the Australian Human Rights Commission on Tuesday, 9th September.

The witness for this hearing was the Hon Chris Bowen MP, who was the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship from September 2010 until February 2013.

We can't 'outsource' our moral obligations to these people

Events on Manus Island have graphically and tragically brought to the attention of the Australian public the inappropriateness of the current arrangements for the regional processing of asylum seekers.

I have been troubled by the loss of life and the injury that has occurred on Manus Island over this past week, even as we wait for further information about what exactly has occurred. I am also disturbed that this is not the first such incident in immigration detention facilities.

Judicial review of lawfulness of detention (2013)

Australian Human Rights Commission Response to Questionnaire from the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

8 November 2013

Table of Contents

National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention 2014: Discussion Paper

Date

Why are we holding this inquiry?

The purpose of this inquiry is to investigate the ways in which life in immigration detention affects the health, well-being and development of children. The inquiry will assess the impact on children by seeking the views of people who were previously detained as children in closed immigration detention and by assessing the current circumstances and responses of children to immigration detention.

Information about children in immigration detention

Friday 31 January, 2014
Learn about the impact of mandatory immigration detention on children in regard to Australia's obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention 2014

Thursday 30 January, 2014

Learn about the 2014 inquiry into children in immigration detention.