A teenager climbed five metres into a tree at 7AM on Friday 18th March at a detention centre in Broadmeadows Melbourne and refused to come down for eight hours. The ABC reported he was was perched on a branch about five metres off the ground and frequently waved his shirt to attract the attention of media helicopters, whilst firefighters and staff tried to coax him down.
More than 140 young asylum seekers from the ages of 13-18 are locked up in the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation at Camp Road, Broadmeadows.
Many of these young people have no family in Australia. Most of them are teenage boys whose fathers, brothers or other family members have been killed, and their families have sent them out of the country to save their lives.
Join a Refugee Action Collective rally on Saturday April 2nd to demand the closure of this and all detention centres - Free ALL asylum seekers - end mandatory detention.
Comments
Boy's ASIO clearance rejected..
I read this account of the boy's circumstance from a refugee advocate via Facebook
To day we visited MITA the detention center in Broadmedows for un accompanied minors. We were not aloud in. A 17 year old iraqi boy had climbed a tree in a suicide attempt after ASIO had refused to give security clearance for his visa that had granted him refugee status, leaving him in limbo. Detention = mental illness.. please let them out, let them go, let them live..
Re: Boy's ASIO clearance rejected..
really? a 17yo was branded a terrorist by ASIO?
thats pretty fucking nuts. where is the oversight?
the indigenous elders will be the ones 'allowing' people here
do away with detention centres, the state and this complete and utter violent approach to our lives...it is time for self empowerment...the indigenous elders will be the ones 'allowing' people here not the current violent system that has a stench of coercion...
Re: Boy protests detention at Broadmeadows detention centre ...
Australia needs to change this policy of mandatory detention.
Why is it we are locking up innocent children ..there are 200 kids in Broadmeadows now. As it happens I went to visit this boy today in Maribyrnong Detention Centre. On the Easter weekend, one SERCO staff person came to Maytham’s room and told him, “You will go to community detention”. This was a cruel lie. The following morning at 1.30am (25/04/11), four men came and took Maytham, his friends tried to help him and were injured by the SERCO staff. When I saw Maytham, he showed me the bruises on his wrists; he had been handcuffed, and taken to Maribyrnong Detention Centre.
Maytham, arrived in Australia (Christmas Island) in September 2010. He was found to be a refugee as defined by the Refugees Convention a few months later. The letter sent by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship is dated 16 December 2010. Maytham now only had to await the health and security checks. These havent come through yet.
But this 17 year old iraqi boy had climbed a tree in a suicide attempt after ASIO had refused to give security clearance for his visa that had granted him refugee status, it was obvious that he wasnt getting adequate treatment in there. He is being threatened with deportation and this is a travesty.He is no terrorist.
Shame Australia Shame -let Maytham out into the Community -let them all out now
AZADI
Re: Boy protests detention at Broadmeadows detention centre ...
Azadi what you say is true, but the boys need to know that this is a process that takes time. It is not only that particular Iraqi boy who is in that situation, there are many like him. Protesting and attracting media attention is not the way to go because it does not solve or quicken the ASIO process.