Children attending school from the Villawood residential housing section of the detention centre are being subjected to extensive searches of their bags, including their lunch boxes, before and after school.<\/p>\n
The practice, which began on Wednesday or Thursday last week, affects about 12 school-age children in the housing complex; those attending both primary and secondary school. All the children are being searched by the escort staff in the reception building of the housing compound both before and after school.<\/p>\n
Despites numerous questions and complaints, neither Serco nor Immigration management has given any explanation for the new policy.<\/p>\n
There has been no report of any contraband material (whatever that might be) being found during the searches.<\/p>\n
Both parents and children find the practice intrusive, humiliating and stressful; contributing to rising tensions in what is already a stressful environment.<\/p>\n
The searches seem to be part of an increasing atmosphere of arbitrary control inside the compound, badly affecting relations between staff and the parents and children they are meant to care for.<\/p>\n
Reports indicate that the children are growing more suspicious and distrustful of detention staff. The older ones are even more resentful, with some threatening to boycott school because of the search regime.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe harassment has to stop,\u201d said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition, \u201cThese searches and arbitrary rule changes seem to be part of a deliberate program to intimidate both parents and children and to create a climate of coercive management control. They are being stripped of dignity and respect.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe psychological damage caused by detention is well established \u2013 and the regime being imposed on children and families at Villawood housing shows one reason why.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Children attending school from the Villawood residential housing section of the detention centre are being subjected to extensive searches of their bags, including their lunch boxes, before and after school.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":311091,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-press-releases"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t