CHILDREN IN DETENTION

THE GLOBAL END IMMIGRATION DETENTION OF CHILDREN CAMPAIGN
Going through the Early Childhood Australia (ECA) website, the above heading caught my attention. On a further search, I get to understand that the International Detention Coalition (IDC) lunched a global campaign this year to stop the growing trend of children immigration detention by governments. It is on record that children fleeing abuse, poverty, human trafficking and war are locked up simply because they do not hold the needed documentation. Evidence has shown that immigration detention has devastating effects on their physical, psychosocial and cognitive development. Not to talk about the educational setback. Hence, all involved must be stopped. IDC estimates hundreds of thousands of children are placed in detention yearly in places like Australia, Greece, Israel, Malaysia South Africa Thailand and United States of America.

Some refugee children of Burma standing behind bars with other detainees in a crowded detention cell in Mae Sot, Thailand.

 In a press release May 2012, the ECA then Chief Executive Officer Pan Cahir acknowledged that a compassionate and responsible government must promote and protect the right of children including the ones seeking asylum. Refugee children like every child need healthy development which depends on nurturing and stimulating environment. They need to cope with the trauma of loss, uprooting from culture and relationships. Living such children that are already hurting in detention would only make their condition worse. The ECA is adding their voice to the rest of the world to compel the Australian government to ensure that not one more child is placed in detention in their country. The ECA suggested the following to their government:

1. Families with children and unaccompanied minors should be placed in the community while their claims are assessed. 

2. In the event that an application for refugee status is unsuccessful and families or unaccompanied minors cannot return to their home country, families and unaccompanied minors should continue to live in the community until such time as they can return home.

3. Families should have access to the support they need to care for their children and participate in the community.

It is quite unfortunate that anybody could forget that children are children no matter the circumstances and should be treated with care. These children are very vulnerable and are already exposed to so many challenges. Therefore, keeping them in detention must be abolished. They are victims of circumstances, and I wonder where the Social Justice, Equity, fairness and love go. I sincerely hope that every government will take this issue very seriously. I always hear “children is our future” but the future is here as “children” irrespective of their circumstances. We must take hold of the future now. Optimal development is the right of every child and the appropriate environment must be provided by any responsible government. I like the statement of IDC “We believe that children should be treated as children first and foremost, regardless of their immigration status and wherever they are in the world”.

 For more details on this check the following links:

http://www.theworkcontinues.org/news.asp?id=1757

 http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/early_childhood_news/may_2012_media_release_government_must_act_to_end_child_detention.html