Seeking Refuge, Losing Hope: Parents and Children in Immigration Detention

Abstract

<jats:p> Objective: To record observations made by the authors on a series of visits between December 2001 and March 2002 to two of Australia's immigration detention centers and to consider the mental health consequences of Australia's policy of mandatory immigration detention of asylum seekers for families and children. </jats:p><jats:p> Conclusions: Parents and children in immigration detention are often vulnerable to mental health problems before they reach Australia. Experiences in prolonged detention add to their burden of trauma, which has an impact not only on the individual adults and children, but on the family process itself. Immigration detention profoundly undermines the parental role, renders the parent impotent and leaves the child without protection or comfort in already unpredictable surroundings where basic needs for safe play and education are unmet. This potentially exposes the child to physical and emotional neglect in a degrading and hostile environment and puts children at high risk of the developmental psychopathology that follows exposure to violence and ongoing parental despair. Psychiatrists have a role in advocating for appropriate treatment of these traumatized and vulnerable parents and children. </jats:p>

Psychiatric status of asylum seeker families held for a protracted period in a remote detention centre in Australia

“…Similarly, siblings corroborated accounts given by other children and parents. The behavioural disturbances and disorders identified are consistent with other less systematic reports about the problems faced by children in these settings 20,22 and in particular are consistent with the findings reported by Mares and Jureidini, 34 which w ere based on longitudinal clinical assessment across the course of treatment.…”

“…Hence, although the potential for bias cannot be entirely dispelled, the coherence of the data and their convergence with clinical observations 20,22 and reports of extensive inquiries undertaken in detention centres 1,4,6,34,45 builds a case to support the validity of our f indings.…”

“…Nevertheless, the investigators had obser ved cases of separation anxiety, disruptive conduct, nocturnal enuresis, sleep disturbances, nightmares and night terrors, sleepwalking, and impaired cognitive development. Based on clinical impressions, Mares and colleagues 22 also raised concerns that detained children may be at risk of emotional disturbances because of confinement, exposure to violence and self-harm, and the impact of parental distress on care-giving. Agencies including the Public Health Association of Australia 23 and the Colleges and Guild organisation 24 have raised concerns about the psychosocial well-being of children in detention.…”

L’expérience des demandeurs d’asile détenus au Canada

“…Il n'est guère mieux de les retenir offi cieusement dans un CSI, auprès de leur mère. De nombreuses études ont démontré que le fait de déte-nir des enfants, surtout pour de longues périodes, peut être très néfaste pour leur santé psychologique et leur développement (Mares, 2002 ;Human Right and Equal Opportunity Commission, 2004 ;Steel et al, 2004 ;Silove et al, 2007 ;Newman et al, 2008 ;Lorek et al, 2009 ;Kronick et al, 2011). Le fait qu'il s'agirait d'une détention non offi cielle n'atténue aucunement son effet délétère.…”

To flee, or not to flee, that is the question for older asylum seekers

“…Being held in immigration detention centres (IDCs), potentially exposes asylum seekers to poor living conditions, the deprivation of liberty, mistreatment by officers, and being involved or witnessing other traumas such as riots, hunger strikes, and self-harm, which can contribute to adverse mental health consequences Steel and Silove, 2001;Sultan and O'sullivan, 2001;Mares et al, 2002;Steel et al, 2004). In some countries, processing of visa applications occurs offshore, where centres may be less appropriate for housing large numbers of people, including those of an older age.…”