Immigrant Self-harm 'covered Up' in Australia

A Catholic human rights group today accused the Australian government of attempting to cover up incidents of self-abuse among asylum seekers being held in detention centres in the outback.

A report from the Catholic Commission for Justice, Development and Peace said approximately one asylum seeker every day attempted to harm themselves in protest at their detention or out of desperation over an eight month period last year.

The methods ranged from drinking shampoo or cleaning fluid to hunger strikes and slashing their necks and wrists, the commission said.

The commission used freedom of information laws to obtain details from the Australian department of immigration, multicultural and ethnic affairs, which catalogued 264 cases of self-harm over eight months, including 29 incidents in young people under 20 years old.

The report was particularly concerned that children in detention both witnessed self-harm and, in 11% of cases, had harmed themselves.

The report said the government's detention policies had created a "culture of carnage" that was dangerous and irresponsible.

The government responded that those harming themselves were a small minority of the over 9,000 asylum seekers held in detention at the time.

Australian broadcaster ABC reported that the immigration minister, Philip Ruddock, claimed the asylum seekers harming themselves were mostly adults attempting to influence policy by placing his department under duress.

Mr Ruddock said: "In a significant number of cases, the reports of self-harm were of a minor nature and no medical treatment was required or were based on a person claiming to have missed meals, when indications were that they were still eating."

Approximately 1,200 asylum seekers are now being held in remote detention centres around the country.

The report will make grave reading for the home secretary, David Blunkett, whose department announced plans last week for up to 15 new detention centres to hold asylum seekers while their applications are considered.

Plans are already under way to build three centres at Throckmorton, near Pershore in Worcestershire, RAF Newton in Nottinghamshire and at Bicester, Oxfordshire, and to educate children inside the centres rather than at local schools.