Thread: Suicide, depression hit Australia detainees

SYDNEY - Australia's asylum seeker policy came under more fire Thursday with the Human Rights Commission warning that suicide and depression were major concerns in the country's detention centres.

A new study focusing on the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney was released as criticism mounted of Canberra's plan to send boatpeople to Malaysia, where detainees can be caned.

Detention is mandatory for asylum seekers who arrive in Australia until their claims are processed, with some remaining locked up for more than a year.

The Australian Human Rights Commission said three apparent suicides at Villawood last year and high rates of self-harm should serve as a warning.

Commission president Catherine Branson said that the uncertainty caused by being held indefinitely was triggering serious mental health issues.

"What we saw at Villawood was the result of the system of mandatory and indefinite detention, where people can see no end in sight because there is no set time limit on the period a person can be held in detention," she said.

Sixty percent of those in detention when the commission visited Villawood had been held for longer than six months, and 45 percent for more than a year.

"We saw people scarred from self-harming. We heard others talk of sleepless nights, days of depression and frequent thoughts of suicide," said Branson.

"The commission has been deeply concerned for some time about the detrimental impacts of prolonged and indefinite detention on people?s mental health and wellbeing."

She added that the concerns had escalated over the past year as thousands more people arrived, usually on boats from Indonesia.

Hmmm what does everyone think of this story



Mick

Why aren't they torpedo practice? Seriously. They're a genuine threat to our society.