Mental health worries for teen asylum seekers
The Pontville centre houses 140 unaccompanied minors. (ABC) Tasmania’s Children’s Commissioner says some of the Pontville Detention Centre’s teenage asylum seekers are worried about their mental health and do not know why they are there. Eileen Ashford met 29 of the 140 unaccompanied males aged between 13 and 17 at the centre near Hobart last [...]
Detained children fear going ‘mental’
The first children’s commissioner to speak freely with teenage asylum seekers in an Australian immigration detention centre has warned they are bored, uncertain and in danger of suffering poor mental health. Tasmanian Commissioner for Children Aileen Ashford says the 137 unaccompanied minors held at the Pontville centre, 30km north of Hobart, fear they will “go [...]
Mental health fear for detention kids
The first children’s commissioner to speak freely with teenage asylum seekers in an Australian immigration detention centre has warned they are bored, uncertain and in danger of suffering poor mental health. Tasmanian Commissioner for Children Aileen Ashford says the 137 unaccompanied minors held at the Pontville centre, 30km north of Hobart, fear they will ‘go [...]
Traumatised children self-harming in detention
‘In the months and years to come, an epidemic of child self-harm is likely to occur on Manus Island.’ Photo: Angela Wylie CHILDREN as young as nine have been involved in a spate of self-harm incidents in immigration detention facilities, despite child psychiatrists issuing repeated warnings over the past decade of the dangers of detaining [...]
Salvos misplace moral compass on way to Nauru
The Salvation Army’s work for society’s least advantaged has earned it a special reputation with Australians. Photo: Jacky Ghossein Spare a thought for the Salvation Army and other non-government organisations before Christmas as they try to raise funds to give the least advantaged in our community something to ease the pain, bring some joy or [...]
Troops’ asylum stress ‘as high as in Afghanistan’
BRENDAN NICHOLSON, DEFENCE EDITOR From:The Australian THE flow of asylum-seekers to Australia is exacting an increasingly heavy toll on the defence force, with stress levels among personnel as high as those in combat zones such as Afghanistan. Concern about the impact of the border protection operations on navy personnel goes as high as the Chief [...]
Nauru accuses detainees of aiding suicide bid
Photo: Authorities prepare to evacuate an Iranian asylum seeker from Nauru after hunger strike (Supplied: Clint Deidenang) A senior member of the Nauruan government says detainees at the Nauru detention centre tried to stop health workers from helping a man who was attempting suicide. Matthew Batsua, who co-chairs the committee set up to oversee the centre, [...]
Cognitive dissonance and sunk cost: the psychology of seeking asylum
By the time asylum seekers get on boats, it’s often too late. EPA/Tubagus With its revamped Pacific Solution, the Australian government has decided to make the choice to take a boat to Australia more horrendous in its implications, by increasing the likelihood of disasters at sea, and then punishing those who manage to survive the crossing. [...]
Time to stop playing politics with vulnerable men’s lives
“Offshore processing will only serve to break vulnerable people who have fled unimaginable circumstances”. Photo: Angela Wylie On Friday I returned home from four days on Nauru as an independent assessor of conditions for asylum seekers wishing to come to Australia. I find it difficult to understand why nearly 400 male asylum seekers have been [...]
Health bid for asylum seekers
AN INDEPENDENT body to monitor the health of asylum seekers in detention must urgently be established, according to the nation’s doctors. The call from the Australian Medical Association follows the first interview with an asylum seeker on Nauru last week, who told The Age an Iranian man had attempted to hang himself at the detention [...]
