Asylum seekers and mandatory detention.
Overview
In 1992, the Labor government installed a system of mandatory detention for anyone who entered Australia without a visa. In subsequent years the Liberal government took over and stepped up its campaign to ignore Australia's obligations as respectable international citizen.
Men, Women, and Children are locked up in these camps while their claim for refugee status is being processed. They have commited no crime, and the period can be indefinite.
Despite public misconceptions, an Asylum seeker is not an illegal. Under Australian and International Law, a person is entitled to make an application for refugee asylum in another country when they allege they are escaping persecution.
Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that "Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution." People who arrive on our shores without prior authorisation from Australia, with no documents, or false documents are not illegals. They are "asylum seekers", and that is a legal status under International Law. Many Asylum Seekers are forced to leave their countries in haste and are unable to access appropriate documentation. In many cases oppressive authorities actively prevent normal migration processes from occurring.
The system of mandatory detention is a deterrent. Its there to deter other Asylum seekers fleeing to our ‘decent and compassionate country.’ To detain someone for the purposes of deterring future boatloads, would be detaining someone arbitrarily. Arbitrary detention is illegal under the Australian constitution. The Liberal party has maintained that their detention regime is for the purpose of having the Asylum seekers available for processing. Considering that Baxter detention centre is in the middle of freaking desert and there are no phones, it makes it very difficult for an Asylum seeker to access legal advice, something they are entitled to, and considering there are so many cases that have been gathering dust for years. I really don’t see this as any logical excuse.
This is a gross violation of human rights and the conditions inside are inhumane. Conditions of the refugees include mental illness, self-harm, violence, children’s exposure to self-harm and violence, lack of education, lack of health care, and ill-assessed claims. The amount of depression and hopelessness is evident in a lot of the detainees. One Afghan boy said, "…if I had stayed in Afghanistan of course they would have killed me, maybe in an hour or two, but I ended up in here so physically they are keeping me alive but emotionally and spiritually they are killing me."
click to view blog posts on Asylum seekers and mandatory detention.
For more information on Asylum seekers and mandatory detention you can visit these websites:
