The other week I was challenged on my belief that mandatory detention is wrong because it leads to mental illness. It was expressed that there is very a good chance that many of these people arrive to these detention centres with mental illnesses because of the trauma they have experienced and that it is highly likely these people would be suffering from mental illness whether or not they were detained in the detention centres.
At the time I had no response, that was a perfectly reasonable statement and I had no proof to the contrary. However yesterday while stuck in bed feeling sick I decided I wanted to read further into the topic and discover whether the mental illness was a result of detention or rather of past trauma. I decided to concentrate my research on children because I have a vested interest in the protection of children and I have worked with children who have been through these processes and have come out with mental illnesses.
I read a range of articles that all confirmed there was a high level of mental illness in detention centres and some that seemed to suggest that detention it’s self was a contributing cause but it wasn’t until I read the 2004 National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention that I found an article that really explored my question. (I admit that this is not the most up to date inquiry however the 2014 National Enquiry into Children in Immigration will be published later this year so it will be interesting to discover how things have changed in the last 10 years). What the inquiry seemed to suggest was that although past trauma was a contributing factor, there is much to suggest that detention it’s self has a major impact on the mental health of children
According to the enquiry there were 7 main issues that impacted the mental health of children in Detention, these include:
- torture and trauma prior to arrival in Australia
- the length of detention
- uncertainty as to the visa process and negative visa decisions
- the breakdown of many families within detention
- living in a closed environment
- children’s perception that they are not safe within detention
- treatment of children by detention staff
What I found most interesting were the findings relating to past trauma. The inquiry found that although many of the children in detention had experienced past trauma it was not the sole source of their mental illness. One study found that in fact a low number of children arrived in detention with recognisable mental illnesses, while all children demonstrate at least one mental illness after being in detention for an excess of two years. Other studies found that detention lead to an aggravation and maintenance of past disorders. Another made the bold statement that detention was the “worst thing that has ever happened to these children.”
I’d like to do further reading to come to a concrete conclusion, including reading the sources quoted in the inquiry myself. However there certainly seems to be an indication that detention in its self does have a negative effect on the mental health of children. I’m not about to say that detention should be abolished but I am going to say that it appears to have terrible consequences and that amendments or other processes should perhaps be considered. What do you think?
-TheCompassionateGirl
To read the source I have been referencing for yourself click on the link below:
s9.3 covers the factors contributing to the mental health of children in detention
The Life of a Compassionate Girl 