I've just returned from Canberra, where Immigration Minister Scott Morrison appeared before the Human Rights Commission's inquiry into children in detention.
You might have already heard the news that the Minister plans to release 150 children under the age of 10 from detention by the end of the year. This is great news for the 150 young children and their families, who will soon be released from closed detention and into the community on bridging visas.
But the fact remains, we still have a long way to go. Detaining any child for a long period of time is unacceptable, and sadly there will be many who still are.
The Minister's plan to release children from detention will only apply to those on the mainland, and not those still on Christmas Island or Nauru, who are suffering the worst effects of long-term detention.
In the hearing the Minister was trumpeting the fact that there are now less children detained on Christmas Island and in mainland detention, than before the government came into power. But he failed to mention that many of the children, including unaccompanied children, have been sent to Nauru.
Throughout the course of the inquiry, we've heard reports of 128 incidents of self-harm involving children in Australian detention centres. The reports include incidents of young children drinking poisonous substances such as detergents and insect repellent, as well as several suicide attempts – all involving children.
These incidents aren't simply statistics, they're symptoms of a policy designed to drive people to the point of hopelessness and an indictment of the conditions young children are being kept in.
While we should take a moment to recognise this small victory in the campaign for an end to children in detention, which serves as testament to the dedication of GetUp members who have fought for this. We're also reminded of the hundreds of children left on Christmas Island and Nauru, who we'll continue to fight for.
It should go without saying that none of this would be possible without the incredible commitment of the people who work tirelessly on the frontlines of this issue – from refugee advocacy groups, to those providing services and support to newly arrived asylum seekers. One of those people is Professor Louise Newman, who has convened an open letter accusing the Federal Government of wilful and deliberate harm to asylum seeker children and adults.
Professor Newman is planning to deliver the open letter as early as next week. Can you share it and help make it as large as possible, before she delivers it?
Click https://www.facebook.com/login.php?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2... to share it with friends and family via Facebook or simply forward them this email.
GetUp members have fought long and hard for an end to the detention of children since the policy was first introduced. Minister Morrison's recent announcement serves as proof of what our movement is capable of when we keep perservering despite set back after set back.
If Minister Morrison was genuinely concerned with the best interests of children in his care, as he claimed to be in the hearing, he would move all children and their families to the mainland to have their claims processed safely and humanely. So we will not stop until they are.
Thank you for what you do and please keep doing it, because it's working.
Alycia, Kelsey, and Erin for the GetUp team
