Children in detention

At the beginning of March, there were 153 children in Australian-run immigration detention centres. In addition, there are up to 98 asylum seeker children in foster care, hospital or motel detention.

Most of them, however, are no longer kept in mainland detention centres, but away from Australia altogether, in the Nauru island prison. More than 80 children still live there, all of whom have been there for more than two years. Most are less than 12 years old.

A recent fall in numbers of children detained in Nauru, while significant, is not a result of any action by the Australian government — children were either resettled by New Zealand or turned 18 while remaining in detention.

From Green Left Weekly, March 31, 2004.

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From GLW issue 577