Mental health of child asylum seekers in detention - Submissions released
Submissions to the Children in Immigration Detention Inquiry on the psychological health of child asylum seekers in detention are being released today.
Copies of the submissions are available on the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission's website at: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/human_rights/children_detention/index.html
A brief outline of some of the submissions is below. Submissions released today are from:
- Australasian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ASTSS)
- Australian Association for Infant Mental Health (AAIMH)
- Australian Association for the Welfare of Child Health (AWCH)
- Australian Early Childhood Association - NSW branch
- Australian and New Zealand College of Mental Health Nurses (Qld Branch)
- Australian Psychological Society
- Barbara Rogalla - former Woomera Nurse
- Barnardos Australia
- Brisbane Refugee Health Network and Refugee Claimants Support Centre
- Centacare Newcastle
- Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues (CMYI)
- Diversity Directions Inc
- Mental Health Council of Australia
- Public Health Association of Australia
- School of Education and Early Childhood Studies, University of Western Sydney
- Suicide Prevention Australia
Australian
Psychological Society
The Society does not accept that detention centres can allow children
to develop properly because the most important people in their life -
their parents/other caregivers - experience serious problems within detention
centres that compound the suffering they experienced in their own country.
Children are profoundly influenced by their parents' experiences, and
where the parent can no longer cope, the child loses crucial support and
guidance.
Mental
Health Council of Australia
The council notes the factors that particularly affect people from Non
English speaking backgrounds in Australia as a whole, and those factors
in detention centres likely to contribute to mental ill-health in refugees.
Centre
for Multicultural Youth Issues (CMYI)
The Centre has experience from 1988 with refugees and newly arrived settlers
from a range of countries, and is able to provide information about experiences
common to many groups. Although the Centre does not work in detention
centres, it assists people who have been in immigration detention when
they settle in the community.
Australian
Early Childhood Association - NSW branch
This submission identifies the factors that most contribute to a healthy
development of young children, noting how the circumstances of detention
centres can interfere with this process. These issues are also addressed
by No. 30, Australian Association for Infant Mental Health.
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CROC)
For information on mental health and development and Australia's obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international instruments refer to background paper number 3 at: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/human_rights/children_detention/background/mental_health.html
For example, Article 39 of CROC says:
States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to promote physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of a child victim of: any form of neglect, exploitation, or abuse; torture or any other form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; or armed conflicts. Such recovery and reintegration shall take place in an environment which fosters the health, self-respect and dignity of the child.
Public Hearings
The Children in Immigration Detention Inquiry will hold its first public hearing in Melbourne next week.
Details of the Melbourne public hearing (including the list of witnesses) and the hearings to be held in other States will be placed on the website at: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/human_rights/children_detention/dates.html
Media representatives are invited to attend public hearings. However, some evidence will be given in camera and media representatives may be required to comply with confidentiality requirements in relation to evidence given during the hearings.
Media contact:
James Deefholts (02 9284 9618
Janine MacDonald (02) 9284 9880 or 0408 469 347
