NSW Teachers Federation 12 February 2015
Teachers in NSW are profoundly disturbed by the findings of the Human Rights Commission’s report The Forgotten Children, and are shocked that the Prime Minister has dismissed the report as a ‘blatantly partisan political exercise’ and stated that the Commission “should be ashamed of itself.”
NSW Teachers Federation President, Maurie Mulheron said:
“Teachers support the Commission’s recommendations, including the call for a Royal Commission into the practice of putting asylum seeker children into mandatory detention, having found that “immigration detention is a dangerous place for children.
“The findings of the report make for chilling reading, and no humane person could dismiss and ignore them. They are based on medical evidence.
“The Commission found that between January 2013 and March 2014, there were:
“For children in the care of the government to be experiencing self -harm, abuse, trauma, post-traumatic stress and moderate to severe health disorders such as incontinence and mental health issues is cause for national shame.
“It is an outrage that 330 children remain in indefinite detention and more than 167 babies have been born in detention within the past two years.
“NSW Teachers Federation members are committed to providing the best possible care and education for more than 750,000 students in NSW public schools. We believe children in detention deserve the same, and call on the Federal Government to act urgently to redress this situation.”
Teachers in NSW are profoundly disturbed by the findings of the Human Rights Commission’s report The Forgotten Children, and are shocked that the Prime Minister has dismissed the report as a ‘blatantly partisan political exercise’ and stated that the Commission “should be ashamed of itself.”
NSW Teachers Federation President, Maurie Mulheron said:
“Teachers support the Commission’s recommendations, including the call for a Royal Commission into the practice of putting asylum seeker children into mandatory detention, having found that “immigration detention is a dangerous place for children.
“The findings of the report make for chilling reading, and no humane person could dismiss and ignore them. They are based on medical evidence.
“The Commission found that between January 2013 and March 2014, there were:
- 233 assaults involving children in detention
- 33 reported incidents of sexual assault, with the majority involving children
- 128 children who harmed themselves
- 27 children in voluntary starvation or hunger strikes
- Over 100 children on Christmas Island denied education for over a year
- “The failure of the Commonwealth to provide education to primary school aged children on Christmas Island between July 2013 and July 2014 is a breach of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
“For children in the care of the government to be experiencing self -harm, abuse, trauma, post-traumatic stress and moderate to severe health disorders such as incontinence and mental health issues is cause for national shame.
“It is an outrage that 330 children remain in indefinite detention and more than 167 babies have been born in detention within the past two years.
“NSW Teachers Federation members are committed to providing the best possible care and education for more than 750,000 students in NSW public schools. We believe children in detention deserve the same, and call on the Federal Government to act urgently to redress this situation.”
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