Most of what I write about on this blog is fluff. I make no apologies for that. In my work life (when I am not on maternity leave) I deal with serious issues that quite frankly I wish to leave at the door when I come home to my children. On this website I write about what I love doing with my kids, exploring the world, having fun, learning together.
I think my kids are special because they are mine. The Australian Human Rights Commission was today told by an Immigration Department official at a national inquiry into children in detention that there are currently 659 children being held in onshore and offshore Australian detention centres. The Immigration Department representative declined to say whether any of these children were babies but did acknowledge that “small children’ are among those detained. Here’s the thing. Every single one of these 659 children are as special as my kids. Yet the Australian government is forcing at least some of them to live in conditions that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) describes as “rat-infested, cramped, and very hot.” These are children that are certainly doing no exploring, whose education is almost non-existent and who are experiencing secondary trauma at the hands of the Australian government.
The Australian medical profession has long been calling for an end to the detention of children. There is clear evidence that detaining children is detrimental to their physical and mental health. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, of which I am a fellow has made a stand against mandatory detention of asylum seekers and detention of children. RACGP president Dr Lis Marles says “The act of holding children in restrictive detention must cease as an urgent priority and the RACGP recommends the standard model of care be one of community residence where families are kept together and they have access to appropriate and priority medical services.”.
Unfortunately the Australian government hasn’t heeded the urgings for humanitarian treatment of asylum seekers from the medical profession before. The Royal Australian College of Physicians, of which I am also a fellow released a statement in 2013 saying “the Federal Immigration Minister Scott Morrison must act on the mounting evidence that the health of asylum seeker children is being damaged in regional offshore processing centres. ” The Australian Human Rights Commission also heard today from psychiatrist Dr Peter Young who works for the company delivering health services to those in detention centres that the Immigration department has tried to cover up the scale of mental health problems among children in detention.
So I am not writing this article as a doctor – we know the government has not paid enough attention to the opinion of medical professionals concerning this issue. Albeit every ounce of my doctor self screams that the incarceration of children in detention centres is wrong and I will continue to add my voice to that of my colleagues calling for an end to detention of children. Rather, I am writing this article as a mum. The idea of my own children being incarcerated in a detention centre for even one night is horrifying. That 659 children are currently living in such conditions is abhorrent. Perhaps I wonder, if enough Australian mums and dads make a fuss, bother their member of parliament, join peaceful rallies, write in their own blogs, share their opinion on social media and sign petitions, maybe, just maybe the Australian government might listen and cease the detention of children.
And for the record, if I was afraid, really scared for my own life, and those of my children, if I could see no other way, yes I would take them on a boat trip to a foreign shore in the hope of safety.
Tweeted.
Thanks Bron. I had a feeling you would approve of the sentiment.
What do with illegal child immigrants is a big issue in the USA, too. When we were in Malaysia, our kids’ visas expired. My oldest had hopes that he’d get a free airplane ticket back to the USA. I explained to him that the actual situation was far less rosy for kids who are detained.
It’s dreadful isn’t it? Glad you kept your kids out of detention! Unfortunately in Australia both major parties need much more compassion when it comes to those that are here fleeing persecution.