An unaccompanied Iranian minor, believed to be around 17 year old has been staging a lone protest on the roof of the visitor centre inside the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation detention centre.
He went on the roof around 10pm last night (Wednesday) , and is still on the roof despite the cold and rainy weather. Asylum seekers inside the detention centre are growing increasingly concerned because Serco is not assisting the young man.
They say instead of providing someone to talk to him, warm clothes, or protection from the rain, they say, “Serco is only watching.”
The teenager has been in MITA for around eight months and has a history of self-harm and suicide attempts that have seen him hospitalised many times.
“We are very concerned that he will jump,” asylum seekers told the Refugee Action Coalition, from inside the detention centre, “He needs help.”
Repeated inquests into suicide deaths at the Villawood detention centre has revealed major flaws in Serco preparations and protocols to deal with potential suicide situations.
The incident also comes only days after disturbances at the Pontville detention centre in Tasmania.
“Serco and the department need to act urgently to ensure that there is not a tragedy inside MITA and that proper resources are mobilised to ensure the welfare of the young asylum seeker. He has already been on the roof for 17 hours,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition.
“The incident also highlights the dangers of mandatory detention and the government’s failure to provide proper community accommodation for the unaccompanied minors.
“We were told in the very early years of the Rudd government that children would be released from detention. The failure to act is taking a heavy toll on the mental health of teenagers and children locked in the detention centre.”
For more information, contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713
