Commission Website: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
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Submission to National Inquiry
into Children in Immigration Detention from
the National Council of Women
of Australia
Refugee
rights and the rights of the child
Health
and Nutrition
Prevention,treatment
and accommodation of disabilities
Psychological
and social well being
Education
Conclusion
The National Council
of Women of Australia is a voluntary organisation working for the advancement
of women through a vast network of affiliated organisations & individual
members.
The national council
is comprised of state councils which have individual members and affiliated
organisations. In total the membership comprises over three million women.
Refugee
rights and the rights of the child:
It is paramount that
the best interests of the child is considered. The child is entitled to
nurture and protection within the family unit.
The council expresses
concern at the suggestion that children are to be separated from parents
and other family members and removed from the centres to be placed in
foster care. Whilst this move would remove the child from the oppressive
atmosphere of detention in a camp it would remove the child from the family
unit and in most cases from the care of the mother.
Consideration should
be given to containing the family unit. The child's right to play must
also be acknowledged.
Long term research
has established the essential roll of play in the child's physical, emotional
and social development.Australia is a leader in research and development
of opportunities for play. Throughout Australia in cities and country
towns innovative parks and play areas have been developed for children.Play
therapy programs are established in hospitals, special education centres,
preschool, day-care centres and schools.
Children in detention
centres have few play facilities.
Immediate attention
is needed to aspects of play situations available to children in detention
centres.Many children have experienced great trauma in the period of their
short lives. The value of play and emotional expression through music
and art is well known and yet it is apparent that such experiences are
denied children in detention centres.
Health
and Nutrition:
The council expresses
concern at the level of nutrition advice to catering staff employed by
the operators of detention centres.
Most children in
detention centres have arrived in Australia from war torn areas of the
world, where access to nutritious food is limited and at times non existence.Mothers
during pregnancy have had limited access to nutritious food.
The establishment
of nutritious patterns of food and drink consumption is essential to the
development and growth of the child. It is a basic right of the child
to have access to adequate and nutritious food appropriate to its culture
and to a diet which will encourage growth and well being.
The council also
questions access to health services and in particular child health examinations
readily available to children in Australia. The value of regular health
examinations is established as a preventative measure and an established
practice in child health.Early testing of eye sight,hearing and for disabilities
ensures that the child has access to the best possible care and attention.
Refugee children in detention centres are unlikely to have had adequate
health care in their home country due to the unavailability of services,
medical staff and facilities. It is imperative that children in detention
centres have access to adequate health care.
Prevention,treatment
and accommodation of disabilities:
The physical environment
of the detention centre must cater for children with disabilities including
mobility, hearing, sight impairment.
Adequate health care
by specialists in disability areas should be available.The remoteness
of several detention centres hampers access to such care. Parents require
support and advise.
The council has been
unable to find factual information that establishes this care is available
to children in detention centres.
Psychological
and social well being:
The compounding problems
developing from lack of acknowledgement of the psychological effects of
trauma, life in war torn areas, transportation to Australia and detention
in a prison like environment will result in further pain and suffering.
Whilst the council
acknowledges that those in detention centres have entered the country
illegally, the children are the victims of the actions of parents and
other adults and cannot be held responsible for the actions of their parents.
In many cases parents and family members have acted in the best interests
of the child to remove them from situations of war and deprivation.
Australia now has
a responsibility to ensure that these children have every consideration
which will allow them to grow into healthy, happy teenagers and adults,
worthwhile and contributing citizens of this country or their home country
should they return to their home land.
It is reported that
there are unaccompanied children in detention centres. Immediate efforts
should be made to connect these children with family members either in
Australia or in their home land and unite these children with family members
capable of caring for the child.
Education:
The lives of these
children have been already disrupted in ways most children fortunately
will never experience. In most cases formal education has not been established
in the pattern of their lives. The child's right to education that will
equip the child for adulthood and a productive life style is an accepted
and enforceable practice in Australia. Effective education within detention
centres must be sensitive to cultural and language requirements and to
the level of the child's development. Specialist educators will be required
to provide the level of education required by the child detainees.
In
conclusion:
The National Council
of Women of Australia recognises the difficulties faced by the government
coping with the influx of boat people and other illegal immigrants and
that it has an obligation to those legitimate applicants for immigration
to Australia.
The council also
recognises that children are perhaps used a tools to gain attention and
publicity by some illegal immigrants and those sponsoring illegal immigration.
The sensational reporting by the Australian Press has fuelled this practice.
The council expresses
deep concern that the problems of children in detention centres has not
been fully addressed.
National Council
of Women of Australia thanks the Human Rights Commissioner for conducting
this enquiry and for the opportunity to express the council's concerns
and will monitor the results of the enquiry.
This submission was
prepared with the assistance of:
Judith A. Parker,
President 12/3/02
National Adviser for Immigration and the Coordinator for Social Issues
National
Council of Women of Australia
Ist Floor
6A Thesiger Court Deakin ACT 2600
Phone 02 6285 2337 fax 02 6285 2652
email: ncwa@bigpond.com
website: www.ncwa.org.au
Last
Updated 9 January 2003.
