Greens – Time To Come Clean On Kids In Detention

Time To Come Clean On Kids In Detention

Media Release | Spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young
Sunday 15th August 2010, 2:07pm
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in Human Rights & Justice Detention Centres Immigration Refugees
It’s time for Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott to tell the public how many children would be left in detention under their plans for offshore processing centres for asylum-seekers, according to Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

Senator Hanson-Young, Greens spokesperson on Immigration and Human Rights, says it has escaped public attention that hundreds of children are currently in detention on the Australian mainland and on Christmas Island.

“Australians voted three years ago for an end to the detention of children, but now we have close to 700 children held in a variety of centres. This is unacceptable,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

“This is getting closer to the most children ever held in detention at one time – 842 children in 2001 in the darkest days of John Howard’s government.

“Now Prime Minister Julia Gillard has refused to rule out opening an offshore processing centre on Nauru, mimicking the short-sighted policy of the Coalition.

“Sadly, there is no real difference between the old parties on their treatment of vulnerable asylum-seekers – it’s only the Greens who truly stand for an end to children in detention, an end to mandatory detention and the use of detention solely as a last resort.

“It’s time for our leaders to be honest about what their policies will really mean – how many children will be detained on Nauru, or East Timor, or somewhere else in the region, all because of Labor and the Coalition’s obsession with appearing to be tough on vulnerable asylum-seekers.

Prolonged or indefinite detention has a serious impact on detainees’ mental health, and children are particularly affected by the experience.

The Greens oppose this damaging policy, and in particular believe there is no justification for the detention of children.

“By moving to mainland processing in Australian metropolitan centres, the Greens would ensure greater access to support and services for those fleeing persecution, rather than maintaining a regime of punitive detention on remote islands or “desert prisons”,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

“It’s time to get past the idea of punishing people, including vulnerable children, who are fleeing persecution and instead focus on faster processing to work out who the genuine refugees are. Australia can do better, and the Greens have a plan to make it happen.”