Jesus said: “Suffer the little children to come unto me.” Australian policy on asylum seekers seems to understand only the first word of that instruction, with nearly 1000 children in detention in Australia and another 177 in grim conditions in Nauru. Many of them are suffering acute psychological stress and other traumas. Ten years ago and, again at the last election, there was a strong public consensus that children should not be behind wire fences, deprived of recreation, education and family security, but that conviction seems to have dissipated. Last Friday the Anglican bishops of Australia spoke of our “profound disquiet” at the plight of children in detention. In a plea to the federal government, we said that while it has been highlighting the number of days since a boat arrived, there was another number that needed close scrutiny – the number of children in detention. “These children are innocent victims of tragic circumstances,” our statement said. “Those who flee from desperate circumstances by boat should not be punished by prolonged detention whether in Australia, Nauru or Manus Island. They are not the people smugglers. They are people made in the image of God, who deserve respect from all Australians, but especially our government and its agencies. “They come to Australia out of desperation, fleeing religious, ethnic or economic persecution. They seek asylum under the Refugee Convention that as a nation we have signed. Many will be found to be refugees, as the government’s own statistics demonstrate.” Read more: smh.au/comment/suffer-the-children-they-have-no-asylum-20140417-zqvtu.html#ixzz2zE7myyhF
Posted on: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 09:03:20 +0000
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