3 December 2004
SEVENTEEN CHILDREN TO BE RELEASED FROM DETENTION, WHAT ABOUT THE REST?
A further seven Afghan children in Australia and ten Iraqi children in Nauru just have been granted refugee status. Whilst the news is welcome, it again raises the question as to why the Afghan children were held in detention for almost four years and why the Iraqi children - three girls and seven boys aged six months to 16 years – have also been detained since 2001, which in some cases means for their whole lives.
At the same time Dr David Fletcher lead surgeon at Australia's Fremantle hospital has publicly called for the Immigration Minister to alleviate the stress on Asylum Seekers held on Christmas Island for over 19 months.
After visiting the Christmas Island detention centre with former Olympic Champion, Ms Betty Cuthbert, Dr Fletcher said he was "simply amazed at the lack of respect for human dignity shown by the authorites" and "there were presents taken to be given to the children and we were not allowed to hand them out".
Dr Fletcher went on to say that "In my career as a doctor I have witnessed people in the greatest of despair and have never seen the levels of stress as displayed by these people as a result of treatment by Australian authorities". As a result of his observations on the stress evident in the detainees he encountered he is convinced that the detention policy applied by Australia in this remote processing centre is "excessive and a total waste of taxpayers money". He went on to say " here we have a group of families who are contributing to Australian society by growing fresh vegetables for the local Australians and it is ridiculous that Australia feels the need to lock families behind razor wire for so long".
There are still 108 children held in detention including the Iranians at Baxter mentioned in a previous post. In releasing the latest group of detainees Senator Vanstone has demonstrated some belated compassion. All readers of this bulletin are again urged to contact the minister to ask that this compassion be extended to all long-term detainees.
At the same time Dr David Fletcher lead surgeon at Australia's Fremantle hospital has publicly called for the Immigration Minister to alleviate the stress on Asylum Seekers held on Christmas Island for over 19 months.
After visiting the Christmas Island detention centre with former Olympic Champion, Ms Betty Cuthbert, Dr Fletcher said he was "simply amazed at the lack of respect for human dignity shown by the authorites" and "there were presents taken to be given to the children and we were not allowed to hand them out".
Dr Fletcher went on to say that "In my career as a doctor I have witnessed people in the greatest of despair and have never seen the levels of stress as displayed by these people as a result of treatment by Australian authorities". As a result of his observations on the stress evident in the detainees he encountered he is convinced that the detention policy applied by Australia in this remote processing centre is "excessive and a total waste of taxpayers money". He went on to say " here we have a group of families who are contributing to Australian society by growing fresh vegetables for the local Australians and it is ridiculous that Australia feels the need to lock families behind razor wire for so long".
There are still 108 children held in detention including the Iranians at Baxter mentioned in a previous post. In releasing the latest group of detainees Senator Vanstone has demonstrated some belated compassion. All readers of this bulletin are again urged to contact the minister to ask that this compassion be extended to all long-term detainees.
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