Click here to return to the Submission Index
Submission to the National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention from
the Social Justice In Early Childhood Group (SJIECG)
The Social Justice In Early Childhood Group (SJIECG) was formed in 1996 and is made up of early childhood professionals focussed on social justice issues as they relate to children and their families. The group aims to raise the awareness of social justice issues within the early childhood profession. The group membership includes teachers, students, childrens services managers, additional needs workers and administrators. Group members are based in Sydney, but work in local, state and national services.
In carrying out its aims SJIECG liaises with peak organisations to promote social justice issues to ensure that the rights of children are paramount within the professional and political arenas.
SJIECG is very pleased to have the opportunity to submit our concerns to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention Centres (IDC) and endorse the attached submission from Ms Trish Highfield. Over the last 18 months Ms Highfield has been a regular visitor at Villawood IDC. Ms Highfield is a member of SJIECG. We understand that Ms Highfield has forwarded her original submission to HREOC, we have enclosed a copy.
We wish to express our extreme concern for the psychological and physical health of all the detainees. As early childhood professionals we are particularly concerned about the children and their families. Our concern is both for their immediate and future well being.
The poignant descriptions in Ms Highfield's submission illustrate the overwhelming grief, loss, sadness, depression and sense of hopelessness that the detainees are experiencing.
Effects of Trauma:
Early childhood research unequivocally demonstrates that,
Children who do not receive appropriate support in their early years have a much higher risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (Garino, Dubrow, Kostelny & Pardo,1992: Karcher,1994). Children can develop extremely aggressive behaviours, somatic illnesses, depression and/or learning difficulties (Demaree, 1994; Lawson, 1995). Long-term mental health problems are likely to occur, even in those children whose early behaviours appear relatively unaffected (Garbarino et al.,1992). (1)
We know that these children and their families have already suffered enormous trauma and tragedy both in their country of origin and on the journey to seek asylum. We know that maintaining children in the traumatic environment of the IDC is placing them at unnecessary risk for continued harm.
Family Autonomy:
As early childhood professionals we have daily experience in the importance of family autonomy. We witness parents and guardians empowered to make decisions about their children's care, education, medical, religious, social and emotional needs. Research demonstrates, 'the link between strong familial relationships and productive and fulfilling adult citizenship.' (Howard, 2001) (2)
Ms Highfield's submission provides a tragic example of one parent's feelings of powerlessness to protect her child from distressing and inappropriate practices of the 'officers' in the IDC.
That State and Commonwealth governments recognise the importance of family autonomy for Australian families is reflected in programs such as Families First (NSW) and Stronger Families and Communities Strategies (Commonwealth). However the Commonwealth government is abrogating responsibility for families in detention, by only meeting the nominal basic living requirements.
Children who are currently in detention without family members, 'Unaccompanied Minors,' represent a special group of vulnerable detainees and need particular programs to assist them in becoming a part of the Australian society. Without family they need support to maintain the strength and resilience they have already exemplified, in order to continue to utilise their own autonomy.
A Child's Right to Education :
Mares (2001) cites with respect to the right for children to have access to education that,
DIMA's Immigration Detention Standards, Paragraph 9.4.1 states unequivocally that 'social and educational programs appropriate to the children's age and abilities are available to all children in detention. (3)
We know however that schooling has not been provided regularly or reliably to these children.
Our daily experience as early childhood professionals reinforces the importance of play and educational experiences in the healthy development of young children. We know that children grow and flourish in environments that are warm, caring, safe, arouse interest and curiosity and are culturally sensitive and supportive. Conditions in the detention centre as described in Ms Highfield's submission reflect that these fundamental factors that contribute to healthy development are missing.
Working with families is integral to the early childhood profession. It is well recognised in our field that to perform the work of parenting , families need support and supported families are more able to enjoy their children. Linke (2001) comments that in assisting attachments to develop and be reinforced between children and their parents the parents need ,
'Personal support - someone to talk things over with, to affirm when the carer (parent) is doing well and give the carer (parent) a break when needed.' (4)
In the detention centres staff lack appropriate training to give this support to families.
Impact of Detention on Children's Understanding of Morality and Justice:
'It is in children's early years that they construct knowledge about themselves and others and develop an understanding of justice and morality.'(Pope-Edwards, 1986) (5) If children do not experience justice and morality in their own lives it leaves a vacuum, making their task of becoming healthy, fully functioning moral adults extraordinarily difficult. We know that these children have already experienced extreme injustices in their country of origin. We question the justice they are experiencing in our immigration detention centres.
'Between 1989 - 1997, 763 children and 75 babies spent up to four years behind barbed wire.' (Barnett, 2001) (6)
The prison like environment children in detention experience causes severe emotional stress in their lives, making ever more difficult their task of forming stable and constructive ideas about people, society and a sense of moral right and wrong.
'Babies have been born into detention and children have grown up peering through barbed wire to the open spaces beyond the compound.' (The Age, 28.5.98) (7)
As many of the children and their families presently in detention will ultimately be released into the Australian community it is in our own best interests to assist in the creation of adults who can appreciate basic human values, respect the rights of others, and recognise their responsibilities as members of our society.
Australia - a country divided:
Many of the SJIEC group members live and/or work in culturally and linguistically diverse communities. As such we have direct experience with the harmonious relationships that exist within these communities and these community's abilities to rise to the challenges integral to maintaining this harmony.
We are dismayed at the wedge that we perceive is being driven into our formerly successful multicultural and diverse society by the policies of the current Commonwealth government. The hatred directed to the asylum seekers by some sectors of the media and the Australian community endangers our society.
The year of 1999 saw the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Sadly, 'children have become one of the fastest growing groups on the receiving end of human rights abuses.' (Reid, 1999) (8)
As Ms Highfield's submission clearly illustrates, immigration detainees have been traumatised by the conditions in the detention centres and are clearly at risk of continued harm and trauma in that environment. We are deeply distressed and disturbed that Australia is contributing to these tragic human rights abuses.
Recommendation:
We support Article 37 (b) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to which Australia is a signatory which states that,
No child shall be deprived of his or her liberty unlawfully or arbitrarily. The arrest, detention or imprisonment of a child shall be in conformity with the law and shall be used only as a measure of last resort and for ht shortest appropriate period of time.(9)
It is imperative that the Australian government consider options other than mandatory detention. We recommend the immediate release of detainees into the community with the appropriate support for their education, vocational training, medical, dental and psychological needs.
Thankyou for your consideration of our concerns and the attached copy of the submission by Ms Highfield.
(1) Dr M Sims, Dr J Hayden, Dr G Palmer and T Hutchins Working in Early Childhood Settings with Children who have experienced refugee or war- related trauma. Australian Journal of Early Childhood Vol 25 No 4 Dec 2000.
(2) S Howard. Childrens Perceptions of their Fathers Reflections National Gowrie RAP Publications Issue 2 Feb 2001
(3) P Mares Borderline Australia's Treatment of Refugees and Asylum Seekers 2001
(4) P Linke Attachments Past and Present. Reflections National Gowrie RAP Publications Issue 2 Feb 2001
(5) C Pope-Edwards and P G Ramsey Social and Moral Development in Young Children. Creative Approaches for the Classroom 1986
(6) K Barnett A Fair Go… Unless you are the child of an asylum seeker in Australia Every Child Vol 7. No 3, Winter 2001
(7) The Age, 28.05.98 in K Barnett A Fair Go… Unless you are the child of an asylum seeker in Australia Every Child Vol 7. No 3, Winter 2001
(8) M Reid Children in South Asia. Their Right to a Future. Every Child Vol 5 No 4 Summer 1999
(9) United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. 20 November 1989.
Last Updated 22 October 2002.
