Nowadays Self-harming, suicides, attempts of hanging, Homicidal thought and self-mutilations, Children self-harming, depression, talks of sleepless nights, frequent thoughts of suicide and cases of hunger strikes are increasing in Australian detention Centre’s.
As Federal Governments has set mandatory and indefinite detention for asylum seekers where people can see no end in sight because there is no set time limit on the period a person can be held in detention.
In March 2011, more than half of the 6819 people in Australia’s detention network had been detained for longer than six months, while 750 people had been detained for more than a year. This included elderlies, woman’s, children’s. And Some people have had their applications rejected.
According to ABC investigations on 11 May 2011 there have been 50 or so incidents, including suicidal intent among asylum seekers, self-harm with intent, attempted hangings, homicidal thoughts ,self-mutilation and a case of one man who sewed his lips together some involving detainees aged under 18.
Also Documents from inside Christmas Island detention Centre reveals more than 50 asylum seekers were place on suicide watch in the past month. And there has been reported allegations by detainees at Villawood detention Centre in Sydney that an inadequate response from guards forced them to use a cigarette lighter to try to save the life of a man who had attempted suicide earlier this year.
There are cases of children’s as young as four and five years old being part of hunger strikes and children as young as age 10 are trying to self-harm. There have been signs of psychological stress and regression. Their parents say “our six-years-olds” are behaving like four-years-olds.
Current and former employees of contractor Serco (the security company hired to manage Australian detention Centre’s) raised issues about self-harming of asylum seekers. A shortage of staff members means it is more difficult to make sure that asylum-seekers do not seriously hurt themselves while in detention centers.
The current Serco employees believe it is “a matter of time” until a big tragedy occurs. They say it’s a whole logistic exercise in itself to escort one person over from one camp to the medical Centre especially on occasions when there might be only two officers to look after 600 or so clients in a camp. Sometimes suicides are reported in hours and sometimes even days out of date to us to escort them to the local hospital or to medical Centre.
Since the beginning of 2010 there have been 8000 boat people who arrived in Australia. Because of high number of Asylum seekers 400 male asylum seekers have been temporarily housed in converted Army barracks at Pontville, north of Hobart.
Recent riots, rooftop protest, self-harm and suicide attempts have prompted the Government to approach Malaysia about taking some for processing. Australian detention Centre’s are overcrowded. Australia plans to send 800 Asylum seekers arriving by boat immediately to Malaysia for processing and in return Australia will accept 4000 people already assessed to be refugees from Malaysia for resettlement over four years.
According to some reports conditions in Malaysian detention centers aren’t any good. Malaysia Canes up to 6000 detainees a year, using rattan cane that causes visible injuries and scarring. The law also allows guards to use punishment on children’s. There are photographs of woman and even babies caged in squalid conditions at the lenggeg immigration Depot, near Kuala Lumpor, and hundreds of man in one tennis court-sized enclosure.
A 22-year-old Iraqi asylum seeker who was detained in the main Islands detention Centre was granted a permanent protection Visa says the Centre cannot be called anything other than a prison, but opinions in there is certain that its better than being sent to Malaysia. Everyone thinks people who are sent to Malaysia won’t come back.
UN Human Right Commissioner Navi Pillay, Visted Australia to discuss and examine major human right issues. She wasn’t very happy about the conditions of asylum seekers in detention Centre’s or about the Australia and Malaysia deal. She said Australia and Malaysia's agreement to swap asylum seekers for refugees jeopardized asylum seekers' rights and was part of a racist and inhumane Australian policy.
The situation for asylum-seekers in Australian immigration detention is hopeless. They are better off trying to find legal ways to get to Australia, than to suffer inhuman, illegal and immoral treatment while trying to be accepted by Australia after arriving illegally by boat. A better solution should be thought of by the Australian government and the UN for these desperate asylum seekers who are detained in search of a better life.
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