CHILD ABUSE IN DETENTION CENTRES

Justice Einfield, a former Federal Government Judge, said the Australian Government has been accused of effectively carrying out child abuse by holding children in detention centres.

"The Government is breaching the UN Convention on the rights of the child," he said. Justice Enfield spoke at an international conference to examine the effectiveness of the United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees hosted by University of New South Wales Centre for Refugee Research which will finish this afternoon.

Dr Dudley, Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales, who spoke at the conference today about the psychiatric effect on young people in detention centres said children don't have the time to wait for another inquiry to tell them things are bad for them. Commenting on his visit to Villawood Detention Centre he said "it's like a prison but worse because these young people are not criminals and they are being indefinitely detained. It's like a concentration camp."

Dr Dudley said his Research had shown the suicide rate in detention centres was totally disproportionate to the normal population. He also talked about issues of trauma, anxiety, depression and fear as some of the reasons for the suicidal behaviour and self-harm of these young people.

"I interviewed a young man from Iraq yesterday who has been in Villawood for two years. He said "Saddam Hussein would have killed me immediately. At least that would have put an end to my misery. In Australia they kill you slowly. It is worse than hell."

Also in attendance at the conference today is Julia Gillard, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, who said she is here to listen to the concerns of the people at the conference. Outcomes from the four day conference , which has seen vigorous discussion by over 500 delegates including refugees, policy makers and experts, will go directly to a major United Nations meeting on the Refugee Convention next week.

"The Refugee Convention - where to from here?" at the University of NSW today. Dr William Maley, UNSW Australian Defence Force Academy and expert on Afghanistan will speak on Terrorism and New Threats at 2.30.

Contact Details: for more media information call Sarah Martin on 0408 113407.