| Kevin Rudd's Govt visa move 'cruel and inhumane' |
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The Federal Government's suspension of refugee claim processing for Sri Lankans and Afghanis is "cruel and inhumane" and will ramp up distress among asylum seekers, an academic says.Professor Linda Briskman, of Curtin University's Centre for Human Rights in Perth, says the suspension could lead to lengthy periods of detention on Christmas Island or the mainland."We know the mental health impact of long term detention," she said on Friday from Christmas Island, where she is conducting research on asylum seeker detention.
People were already distressed because they did not know what the outcomes for them were going to be, Prof Briskman said. She questioned whether the new policy was in response to overcrowding on Christmas Island or concerns about public opinion in an election year. "I think it's cruel and inhumane in subjecting people to this for political purposes." The Federal Government today announced an immediate suspension of processing of all new refugee claims by Sri Lankans and Afghanis. Immigration Minister Chris Evans denied the new regime meant asylum seekers could be detained indefinitely on Christmas Island or in mainland detention centres. "People aren't being denied their right to seek asylum but it's been suspended," he told reporters in Canberra. "It's humane because people will still have access to consideration of their refugee status. "They will still be treated with dignity and treated as human beings." The government says the new policy is a response to changing circumstances in Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees is reviewing conditions in both countries and UN protection guidelines. The Australian Humans Rights Commission said the changes could see asylum seekers detained indefinitely. "We have real concerns that this policy shift could lead to arbitrary detention and take Australia down a path that is at odds with our international human rights obligations," commission president Cathy Branson, QC, said. She also expressed concerns about the effects of prolonged immigration detention on the mental health of asylum seekers, especially children. Subjecting children to mandatory detention breaches Australia's obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which requires children only be detained as a last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time. "We have consistently maintained that the small size and remoteness of Christmas Island makes it an inappropriate place to hold people in immigration detention," Ms Branson said. "Detainees cannot get adequate access to crucial support services such as legal advice, health and mental health care, and religious support." http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/7042450/govt-visa-move-cruel-and-inhumane/ |
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