Anonymous
Save the Children workers submit to inquiry 53-page document which includes
details of shocking case studies
theguardian.com,
Thursday 14 August 2014
An asylum seeker child seeks shade under a piece of
cardboard in Nauru. Photograph: The Guardian
Forensic
evidence of the “systematic violation” of child asylum seekers’ human rights on
Nauru has emerged in a compelling 53-page document written by a group of
anonymous Save the Children workers on Nauru and submitted to the national
inquiry into children in immigration detention.
The
submission is publicly available to download on the Australian Human Rights
Commission website, and states: “We believe that the children [on Nauru] have
been subjected to multiple violations of their human rights and wrongdoing from
multiple parties.”
Many of the
observations, including allegations of physical, verbal and sexual assault of
children, inadequate child protection framework for local workers in the
centre, delays in medical treatment and delays in providing basic amenities
have previously been reported by Guardian Australia.
But the
anonymous workers’ document, with redacted references to documentary evidence,
contains these further observations:
Childcare
workers cannot remove children who are abused from detention
Children are
bullied and threatened by fellow detainees
Save the
Children staff are “actively discouraged” from advocating for the removal of
children by their managers except “in the most extreme cases of documented
harm”
A lack of
access to interpreters inhibits the capacity to conduct child protection
investigations
Inadequate
access to food and nutrition for children
Inadequate
child protection training for security staff
“Chronic”
understaffing, meaning children cannot be adequately supervised
Family
members being separated across the detention network, with some children left
on Nauru while a parent receives treatment on the mainland
Unaccompanied
minors self-harming and a lack of clarity over who has guardianship over them
There are
only two bathrooms for about 200 children to share at the recently created
classroom inside the detention centre
Save the
Children and other stakeholders are pressured to remove children from
“vulnerable minor management [VMM]” and “complex behaviour management [CBM]”
lists. “Consequently, the number of children that are placed on VMM and CBM do
not reflect the frequency or magnitude of mental health problems that exist in
the general child population”
The
submission also contains many shocking case studies:
A young
female who was at risk of a “serious sexual assault” after “several adult males
were overheard making plans” to attack her who was moved, with her family, to different
housing but was then moved back within a “few weeks”. “SCA [Save the Children]
was informed that this was a directive from DIBP [Department of Immigration and
Border Protection] and was provided with no notice to prepare the family for
this transition. Despite the family’s concerns regarding their safety, the
family was relocated closer to the perpetrators of bullying and threats,” the
submission says
A
seven-year-old boy was separated from his mother and sister for more than a
month when they were flown to the mainland for medical treatment. “He was left
in the care of his father who had serious mental health problems where he
absconded from the centre on numerous occasions and assaulted another minor,
resulting in an overnight stay in jail and assault charges”
A 13-year-old
boy described as “socially isolated” with “multiple mental health issues” who
was observed by other asylum seekers as “receiving oral sex in the camp from
another boy”. No action by security guards was taken, but the boy was later
observed by two guards with another child as “touching each other’s groins
(over clothing)”. “Although two Wilson’s Security officers wrote two separate
incident reports describing this behaviour, they allowed it to continue and did
not stop the boys.” The submission adds that the officers misidentified one of
the boys. “This further demonstrates the inadequacy of training and skill to
Wilson’s Security officers to intervene in inappropriate sexualised contact
between children and to conduct timely and accurate child protection
investigations”
A 13-year-old
girl who started menstruating on Nauru but had only two pairs of underwear;
“She felt shame because ... each day she had to wash her underwear and hang
them to dry in front of her father which was not culturally appropriate”
A Syrian
father who was unable to care for his young children as he was awaiting surgery
for his hernia. “He was in constant pain and the doctor had previously told him
to limit his walking and talking as it would make it worse”
In March 2014
a group of children attending school were subjected to an “attempted assault”
by a detention centre bus driver with a cricket bat. “Although this bus driver
was dismissed, it highlights the lack of safety that children experience from
employees that are hired to assist them and protect them”
The
submission says it has provided “comprehensive evidence of the systematic
violation of their human rights and a history of wrongdoing in the Nauru
offshore processing centre”.
A Save the
Children spokesperson said, “We are on record as strongly opposing the
government’s decision to send children to Nauru. We know that prolonged
detention of children threatens their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
“However, the
Australian government has been very clear that no child sent to Nauru will come
to Australia, so we take the pragmatic view that children accommodated there
need our help. We are proud of our staff in Nauru who do their best, in an
incredibly tough environment, to safeguard the rights, safety and wellbeing of
children.”
The
immigration minister, Scott Morrison, declined to comment.
The
Australian Greens called the report “shocking” and that it showed child abuse
in the Nauru detention camp was “out of control”.
The party’s
immigration spokesperson, Sarah Hanson-Young said: “The children on Nauru have
to be brought back to Australia now. Every day that the government refuses to
act, another child is hurt.”
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