ABC PM 14 Nov 2013 abc.net.au/pm/content/2013/s3890271.htm MARK COLVIN: New evidence has emerged suggesting the Federal Government may be sending unaccompanied children as young as five to detention centres on Nauru. The Governments previously said it would send all asylum seekers, regardless of age, to offshore detention centres, but it wont say if it has sent children offshore yet. But it is now clear that its at least planning to, because the charity Save the Children is in the process of recruiting workers to look after them. Felicity Ogilvie reports. FELICITY OGILVIE: In a series of job ads, the charity Save the Children makes it plain that its facing a quandary over the Governments policy of sending unaccompanied children to offshore immigration detention centres: SAVE THE CHILDREN ADVERTISEMENT (Voiceover): Our experience shows that sending children to offshore or onshore immigration processing centres threatens their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. But, given that the Australian Government is sending children to Nauru and, given our mandate to the worlds most vulnerable children, we will work to ensure the best possible conditions and services for children on Nauru. FELICITY OGILVIE: Nonetheless, The charity is trying to recruit teachers, independent observers and recreational officers to work with unaccompanied minors on Nauru. Child Psychiatrist Louise Newman says its concerning. LOUISE NEWMAN: They are in an extremely difficult position in trying to provide recreational or support services or educational services in an environment where we are not even clear who is taking responsibility for the welfare of children, what medical, health or other services might be available, the conditions in which children will be held. FELICITY OGILVIE: Curiously, the job ads have changed in recent days. Yesterday, the job website listed an ad for an officer to provide an educational recreational program for children aged five to 12 years. Today, that description has been changed. There is no longer an age range mentioned. Save the Children wont say why they changed the advertisement. Sophie Peer is the campaign director at ChilOut, an advocacy group opposed to the detention of children. SOPHIE PEER: Yesterday, we saw an ad online in front of us, saying an age range. ChilOut asked publicly on Twitter for the Department of Immigration to discuss that with us and talk about whether that was a necessity for staff on the island. We received no response and the next day the ad had changed online. Incredibly concerning. FELICITY OGILVIE: The Government has signalled its plans to move all the unaccompanied children currently being held on Christmas Island to Nauru. But its unclear how many they are. In late August, the previous Immigration Minister, Tony Burke, said there were 62 unaccompanied children being detained on Christmas Island who were destined to go offshore. The youngest was 11. Its not clear what age the youngest detainee is now. Regardless, the president of the Human Rights Commission, Gillian Triggs, doesnt want the children sent offshore. GILLIAN TRIGGS: The greatest concern of course is that, learning from the advertisement at least, that the age of these children is really as young as five. Now if that is true, and if we of course wait for confirmation from the Minister as to whether it is true, then that does compound our problems, that sending very young children is particularly harsh. FELICITY OGILVIE: While the previous Government sent unaccompanied minors to PNGs (Papua New Guinea) Manus Island, the current minister, Scott Morrison, is opposed to holding children there. On Friday, he announced that two unaccompanied minors already being held on Manus Island would be moved back to Christmas Island before being transferred to Nauru. At his weekly media briefing, Mr Morrison indicated Nauru was a family facility, but he wouldnt say if unaccompanied minors were already being held there. SCOTT MORRISON: All of that information, in terms of the ages of people, you will see start to appear in the monthly breakdown of the detention statistics that are provided right across the network. Now, the next update of that is scheduled to go up next week, so I will refer you to that and I am sure we will be able to deal with some issues that arise from that at our next briefing. FELICITY OGILVIE: The latest detention statistics arent up on the Immigration Departments website yet. MARK COLVIN: Felicity Ogilvie.
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 06:56:14 +0000
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