UN Chief Attacks Australian Refugee Policy

[Blewvane]

The United Nations' top human rights watchdog has attacked Australia's tough refugee policies and the treatment of outback Aborigines, saying there was a strong undercurrent of racism in the country.

Long-standing policies of locking up asylum seekers had "cast a shadow over Australia's human rights record", and appeared to be completely arbitrary, UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay said.

"I come from South Africa and lived under this, and am every way attuned to seeing racial discrimination," Ms Pillay, a former anti-apartheid campaigner and international criminal court judge, said at the end of a six-day visit.

"There is a racial discriminatory element here which I see as rather inhumane treatment of people, judged by their differences, racial, colour or religions," she said.

Ms Pillay met Prime Minister yesterday Julia Gillard and expressed deep concern about its latest plan to send hundreds of asylum seekers to Malaysia for refugee processing, hoping to appease voter concern about asylum seekers arriving by boat.

The Government has been struggling to handle the flow of illegal immigrants and earlier this month said it had struck a deal with Kuala Lumpur to ensure asylum-seekers caught heading to Australia would be sent to Malaysia, which is not a signatory of the UN refugee convention.

More than 900 people, mostly from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Sri Lanka, have arrived in Australia so far this year, while 134 boats carrying 6,535 people turned up last year, prompting the Government to harden immigration policy.

At a forum earlier this week, Ms Pillay said the Malaysia deal appeared to violate international refugee law.

"It cannot send individuals to a country that has not ratified the torture convention, the convention on refugees," she said.

Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) Secretary Andrew Metcalfe says his advice from Australia's top lawyers is different. "With respect, I would disagree with some of the comments she's made," he told an Senate estimates committee on Tuesday. We are confident in the legal position we have."

Ms Pillay also criticised the Howard Government's "intervention" policy continued by the Gillard Government which places controls on welfare spending for Aborigines to help fight alcohol and child sex abuse in remote outback areas.
"In my discussions with Aboriginal people, I could sense the deep hurt and pain that they have suffered because of government policies that are imposed on them," she said.

[Blewvane]

Yeah bitch, all of us aussies are racist. Fuck the UN, fuck anmesty international, fuck the red cross, fuck the abos, fuck the refugees, and last but certainly not least FUCK YOU Navi Pillay. Try cleaning up your own country before shitting on mine, you ugly chock chip cunt. The UN has not got the right to tell our government how to handle the flood of illegal immigrants comming into MY country, not yours, MINE.

[Nite]

so............
how do you feel about this issue blew?

[nickakbar]

there ya go ;)

[Nite]

Doesn't apply to kiwis

[Nite]

Originally Posted by Blewvane

Yeah bitch, all of us aussies are racist. Fuck the UN, fuck anmesty international, fuck the red cross, fuck the abos, fuck the refugees, and last but certainly not least FUCK YOU Navi Pillay. Try cleaning up your own country before shitting on mine, you ugly chock chip cunt. The UN has not got the right to tell our government how to handle the flood of illegal immigrants comming into MY country, not yours, MINE.

except for bondi and the gold coast,that belongs to new zealand

[Blewvane]

Originally Posted by NiteFlyer

so............
how do you feel about this issue blew?

Probably the same as you feel about New Zealands immigrant problem. 20 years ago how many imports would you see while at the shops?? I'll guess the number 0, because i know that NZ's immigration policy was tough back then. Not like now, you guys are making the same mistakes that we have, letting just about everyone into the country that has a sob story to tell.
There is no legitimate reason for this scum to come to our countries. Political refugees?? Bullshit! How many countries did they have to go through to get here? I'll give you a hint, more than 1. Indonesia is the most obvious but how did they get there?
If Australia ever has a civil war i won't be on a boat pissing off to NZ, i'll dig up my stash and shoot the bastards that caused the war. I'd also take opportunity to shoot as many junkies, drunks, scrote arsed scum, and non english speaking motherfuckers i could.

[Blewvane]

Children attempting self-harm in detention

The head of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) in the Northern Territory says children under 10 years old are trying to harm themselves in Darwin's immigration detention centre.

This week, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay criticised the Federal Government's mandatory detention of asylum seekers, saying it has led to suicides, self-harm and trauma.

AMA NT president Dr Paul Bauert says the Government is hurting future Australian citizens by detaining them indefinitely.

"This is Australia, we shouldn't be having children like this in Australia," he said.

"Our members shouldn't be having to face the pressures of treating these children and seeing these desperately ill kids who are not only physically traumatised but mentally traumatised.

"We're having some terrible cases that we're needing to treat in Darwin of children as young as four and five being part of hunger strikes. We're having children under the age of 10 self-harming, attempted suicides."

The Government has moved some asylum seeker children and families from detention into community housing.

It says it is "on track" to release most of the children still in detention by the end of June.

But Dr Bauert says the Government should immediately release children from immigration detention.

"We know that bad stressors in the first few years of life can have long-term impacts into adult life," he said.

"We know that at least 95 per cent of these kids we see will eventually end up being Australian citizens and we are damaging them."

Tragic effects
On Thursday, former Australian human rights commissioner Sev Ozdowski spoke out against children in detention, saying conditions are just as bad today as they were under the Howard government.

Mr Ozdowski, who headed a landmark investigation that prompted the Howard government to abolish mandatory detention for children, says the effects of detention on children are "tragic".

"I saw children self-harming, I saw children going into razor wires, I read reports of attempted suicide," he said.

"Basically what's happening is, children are detained for very long periods of time. The longest a child [spent] in Australian immigration detention was five years, five months and 20 days - I remember that case.

"They are missing enormous opportunities because access to schooling is inadequate. Then quite often the families are breaking down because there are not traditional roles for man and for woman any more.

"Quite a significant number of children acquired mental illnesses under the trauma of immigration detention.

"What it really means is that it will take a long time before they recover and in some cases they be whole life dependent on our welfare system."

This week, an Australian Human Rights Commission report on Sydney's Villawood detention centre detailed extensive problems of self-harm and depression among detainees.

Security whistleblowers from Christmas Island also came out and said soaring asylum seeker self-harm rates, combined with staff who are stretched beyond their capacities, could soon prove fatal at the immigration detention centre.
The ABC investigative unit obtained confidential documents detailing 50 incidents among asylum seekers on the island including suicidal intent, attempted hangings, self-harm with intent, homicidal thoughts and self-mutilation.

[Blewvane]

I formally invite all refugee advocates to come with me on Blewvane's Outback Mystery Tour. I will even give you the opportunity to experience Blewvane's Outback Survival Course free of charge. You interfering big mouth know-it-all bastards like free stuff, don't you??
I guarantee you will have an experience you have never had before.