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It must also be recognised that many children in detention centres have been deeply damaged - further trauma could be avoided, in part, by prudent selection and training of staff and guards. It needs to be assured that only staff who have learned to respect relevant cultures, religious traditions and are knowledgeable of the human rights of asylum seekers and the often traumatic conditions of countries from which the people have fled and been exposed to, will be selected for employment.

The Women's Rights Action Network of Australia ("WRANA") is gravely concerned for the well being and human rights of children held in immigration detention in Australia, both as unaccompanied minors and children with accompanying families.

Melbourne Citymission would like to thank you for the opportunity to provide input into your inquiry into children in immigration detention. It is an issue that goes to the very heart of how we as a nation care for our children. It is particularly pertinent to Melbourne Citymission as we are an organization committed to supporting and advocating on behalf of the marginalised.

This submission has been prepared following a public seminar held on 4 March 2002 to discuss the experiences of children in Immigration Detention Centres in Australia. The seminar, held at the University of Western Sydney (Macarthur - Bankstown), was convened by Childhood and Youth Policy Research Unit of the Social Justice and Social Change Research Centre, University of Western Sydney in association with Defence for Children International (Australia) and the Association of Child Welfare Agencies.

This is a paper prepared by Amnesty International for the HREOC Inquiry into children in immigration detention centres. In particular, this paper sets out Amnesty International's concerns with the detention of children, having regard to the international human rights treaties to which Australia has committed itself.

The Equal Opportunity Commission of Victoria (the Commission) commends the enquiry by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission into the circumstances of children in immigration detention and the longer-term effects of detention on children who have entered the Australian community. This submission considers the post-detention experience and treatment of children and young adults released into the community as recognised refugees, with particular reference to,

The Victorian Bar Council has been provided with the submission to the HREOC Enquiry into the mandatory detention of children that has been prepared by a group headed by Julian Burnside QC and called the Kids in Detention Story.

The Tasmanian Government recognises the Federal Government's responsibilities for the management of immigration to Australia. During the last decade a policy of mandatory detention has been established for those who enter Australia without proper authority (an appropriate visa). A period of detention allows the Commonwealth Government to ensure that those unauthorised arrivals do not have a health status, character or criminal record of concern to the Government.

We must face up to our humanitarian responsibilities to accept refugee children and their families. We must take them out of the immigration detention centres and welcome them into the community where they can play, learn and grow. At least then when our children look back on this time and ask us what we did to stand up for refugee kids, we can say we gave them their childhood." (Calvert, 2001).

The National Association of Community Based Children's Services (NACBCS) represents long day care, preschool, occasional care and outside school hours care services that are community owned and managed. The members of NACBCS predominantly work in direct contact with children and families in the services and advocate for quality childcare services for young children.

The young boy I visit is [words deleted]Afghani. When I first started to visit he was very distressed and in my opinion suicidal. He told me he was crying every day and all he did was cry and sleep. He also took part in a hunger strike and spoke of stitching his lips together. His words "one week two week I be dead, better if I dead no more cry no more thinking my mother my father." I spoke of this with a friend of mine who arranged for a mental health nurse to ring him. She is Iranian and was able to communicate with him in a language he understood better.

2. I am presently employed by Australasian Correctional Management (ACM) as the Centre Manager of the Perth Immigration Detention Centre (PIDC). I am on extended leave from that position as I am unfit for work at present.

"The child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding".

The National Association of Community Based Children's Services (NACBCS) is extremely concerned at the briefings we have received from our colleagues about the detention of children who are seeking asylum in Australia.

[This is an extract from my honours thesis analysing Australia’s Mandatory Detention Policy giving special attention to the implications on refugee children.]

The Australian National Committee of the United Nation's Children's Fund, ('UNICEF Australia'), welcomes the opportunity to present a written submission to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, ('HREOC'), in regard to their national inquiry into children in immigration detention, ('the Inquiry').

1. I am a qualified youth worker who was employed by Australasian Correctional Management (ACM) at the Woomera Immigration Reception and Processing Centre (the WIRPC) from May 2000 to January 2002.

Attached please find my submission to this Inquiry. It expresses my concerns as a private citizen with the current detention and treatment of refugee children.

Samaritans, the welfare arm of the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle, is one of the largest regional welfare organisations in Australia. We employ more than 500 professional staff and enjoy the continuing support of over 400 volunteer workers. Managed from Newcastle, Samaritans has a regional focus on the Hunter, Central Coast and Manning regions and an annual turnover of nearly $17million. The organisation delivers more than 80 welfare and community service programs in 100 locations, providing service to more than 60,000 people annually.