The Human Rights Commission tabled a report that they’ve been compiling that looks into the physical and mental effects on asylum seekers in mandatory detention. More specifically, it looked into the the effects of children being held in mandatory detention.
The report – entitled the Forgotten Children report – found that there were significant physical and emotional tolls being taken on children being held in centres like Manus Island. Among the 16 recommendations it made, releasing all children within four weeks and holding a Royal Commission into the treatment of child asylum seekers by the Government was among them.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott went on Fairfax Radio earlier today to flat-out reject the report as little more than a “blatantly partisan exercise” and stating that the Human Rights Commission “should be ashamed of themselves.”
“I reckon that the Human Rights Commission ought to send a note of congratulations to Scott Morrison to say ‘well done, mate’.“
Prime Minister Abbott was also asked if he felt any guilt over the findings contained within the report, to which he responded that he had “none whatsoever.”
“The most compassionate thing you can do is stop the boats. Where was the Human Rights Commission when hundreds of people were drowning at sea [under Labor]?“
This comment, despite the fact that the report covered a period of time that included the last nine months of the previous Labor Government, as well as the first six months of Abbott’s tenure. And also ignoring the Children Overboard scandal that plagued the final years of the Howard Government.
The report listed a set of extremely damning and concerning findings, including the following:
- Children in immigration detention have significantly higher rates of mental health disorders than children in the Australian community.
- There appears to be no rational explanation for the prolonged detention of children.
- The right of all children to education was denied for over a year to those held on Christmas Island.
- The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, as the guardian of unaccompanied children, has failed in his responsibility to act in their best interests.
- The Commonwealth’s decision to use force to transfer children on Christmas Island to a different centre breached their human rights.
- The numerous reported incidents of assaults, sexual assaults and self-harm involving children indicate the danger of the detention environment.
Newly installed Immigration Minister Peter Dutton spoke to reporters and addressed the report, stating “I think there’s a lot within this report that is either dated or questionable,” immigration minister Peter Dutton told reporters on Thursday. “If there was a need for this report, it really should have been done under Labor’s watch when tens of thousands of people came over our border,” again, ignoring the fact that the report covers more time of Labor’s tenure in Government than it does of the Coalition’s.
Dutton went on to admit that the Coalition has a long-standing difference of opinion with Human Rights Commissioner Gillian Triggs.
Labor’s immigration spokesman Richard Marles also offered comment on the issue, “This is not a political document. I think this is raising or telling very disturbing stories to begin with but raising a number of proposals about how the system can work better in the future.” But in the same breath reiterated Labor’s support of off-shore processing.
Meanwhile Sarah Hanson-Young of the Greens went on the record with extremely strong words, calling for talks of partisanship to be shelved in favour of doing the right thing.
“No longer can we turn a blind eye to the sexual, physical and psychological abuse that these policies of indefinite detention are inflicting on children. This isn’t about political parties or a particular government, this about us in the Parliament doing what’s right for vulnerable children. MPs must exercise their conscience and bring an end to the indefinite incarceration of children.“
The bottom line to this being that, no matter your personal politics or particular voting preference, having a Prime Minister that is willing to completely ignore a report from the Human Rights Commission of all places, even one that states that his own Government has knowingly breached some of the most vulnerable people’s human rights, is exceedingly worrying. The fact that he’s playing it off as a mere political exercise and turned sloganistic rhetoric into what he calls “compassion” is even more so.
You can read the full report for yourselves over here.
Photo: Ian Hitchcock via Getty Images.
via The Guardian.
