Former workers inside Australias detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island in Papua New Guinea have revealed a deep level of fear and outlined what they term appalling conditions inside the centres. The accusations have been aired on SBSs Dateline program. Four whistleblowers, most disguised on camera, have told SBS the fear and conditions have also led to an alarming level of detainees harming themselves in the camps. A former Salvation Army officer, who wished to be known only as Marie, says she witnessed it in many forms. Hangings ... men cutting themselves open with glass ... cutting their wrists ... cutting their necks ... trying to suffocate themselves with plastic bags ... stitching their lips, cutting across their eyes ... Another woman, Claire -- not her real name -- also worked with the detainees for the Salvation Army. She told Dateline of a similar story about a man who stuck in her mind. He went to take a phone call and came out holding a fluorescent light. He smashed it and went at his neck and arms, screaming. The woman identified as Marie says, depending on the situation, security and medical officials would attend to those men and the Salvation Army workers were told to ignore them. She says she was told not to look at them but to walk away because, otherwise, it would empower them. She says Salvation Army officers were told to just report the matters to the Department of Immigration. I never heard any response. Their attitude was that its normal because of the place that theyre in. A Tasmanian trauma counsellor who agreed to identify herself, Sue Todd, says her experience was that Nauru is a breeding ground for tension because there is nothing to do. Ms Todd says she had a caseload of 40 people, mostly Afghan Hazaras, and all but perhaps two were struggling with what they faced. (from the article) - [Cat]
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 20:02:24 +0000
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