http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/35965-refugees-stuck-in-australia-s-processing-facilities-set-themselves-on-fire
[links in on-line article]
Refugees Stuck in Australia's Processing Facilities Set Themselves on Fire
Tuesday, 10 May 2016 00:00
By Lizabeth Paulat, Care2 | Report
International attention is being drawn to Australia's asylum and refugee
policy, as two brutal self-immolations have highlighted numerous human
rights flaws. The first refugee to set himself on fire was a young
Iranian husband and father named Omid, who later succumbed to his
injuries. The latest attempt, by a 21-year-old Somali woman named Hadon,
now has many looking to Australia and wondering what on Earth is going on.
It's important to understand Australia's policy towards refugees,
migrants and asylum seekers. With wide support from elected
representatives, it states that anyone who comes to Australia via boat
should be taken to island facilities off the mainland -- one of them
located in the Republic of Nauru and the other on the island of Manus in
Papua New Guinea.
Here, refugees, asylum seekers and migrants often wait in limbo for
years, in dangerous conditions. Reports detail multiple instances of
riots, murders, suspected sexual assault of children and adults, trauma
and PTSD among detainees.
Most are not given any timelines or hopes that they will make it out of
the camp. Rather, after fleeing persecution in often traumatic
circumstances, they are essentially put in an island prison for an
indefinite period. Many say this causes mass hopelessness and increased
suicide risk.
The immigration minister, Richard Dutton, however, does not see it that
way. Rather he sees the refugee advocates as being responsible for the
self-immolation of these two asylum seekers. He told the press:
"I've previously expressed my frustration, and anger frankly, at
advocates and others who are in contact with those in regional
processing centers. And who are encouraging some of those people to
behave in a certain way. Believing that that pressure exerted on the
Australian government will see a change in our policy in relation to our
border protection measures."
He went on to say that no actions taken by advocates or refugees in
regional processing centers would cause the government to change its course.
It's a move that Sarah Mares, a child psychologist who has visited these
detention centers, says will lead to increased trauma and risk.
In an article she writes for the Guardian, Mares says that inhumane and
toxic environments have already proven fatal:
"Omid set himself on fire in despair at continuing indefinite
detention on Nauru despite having been found to be a refugee and despite
having a wife and young child. How could he have done this? We need to
try and imagine how he felt. He set himself on fire in front of UNHCR
representatives who were on Nauru to conduct a monitoring visit into the
deteriorating mental health of those held in offshore camps. We may try
to comprehend, but we cannot possibly accept that he was brought to this
by our policies."
Many human rights advocates have criticized Australia's policy and some
regional partners have tried to help out. Earlier this year New Zealand
offered to take 150 refugees from their detention centers, but Australia
refused.
Their reasoning? Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said that, "Settlement
in a country like New Zealand would be used by the people smugglers as a
marketing opportunity."
New Zealand has said their offer stills stands.
Papua New Guinea has also stepped out, declaring that the Manus Island
detention center would be shut down, as the Supreme Court found it
unconstitutional. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has
called for all 2,000 detainees from both island facilities to be moved
to the mainland. Arepresentative with UNHCR in Australia says the recent
incidents showed a need for a mental health intervention: "These are
highly predictable outcomes of prolonged detention, and they're really
symptomatic of the fact that people have now lost all hope."
However, despite both regional and international pressure, Australia's
reticence to let refugees onto the mainland doesn't show any sign of
changing anytime soon.
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