BY SUSAN REES & SUSAN AUSTIN
CAIRNS More than 300 psychiatrists, health academics, mental health practitioners, advocates and cons- umers converged on Cairns from September 12-14 for the triennial conference of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.
The conference was an initiative of the social and cultural psychiatry section of the college.
The conference explored the social and cultural factors that impact on mental health. It had a particular focus on Indigenous people, rural and remote communities and asylum seekers.
Examining evidence-based approaches, the conference aimed to come up with policy addressing the social issues that affect people's mental health.
Papers presented to the conference by psychiatrists and health academics exposed the terrible effects detention is having on the health of refugees. Psychiatrists also described their frustration at having to treat refugees living in detention centres, only to return them to the source of their trauma.
Professor Derrick Silove, director of the Psychiatry Research and Teaching Unit at the University of NSW, expressed his concern about the intensified post-September 11 vilification of impoverished, exploited and trauma-affected societies around the globe. Silove said that tolerance for cruel and inhumane treatment was gaining legitimacy as part of the so-called War on Terror.
He cautioned that asylum seekers were particularly at risk of neglect and abuse in the current climate of vilification. Silove argued that "new strategies are needed in service responses and advocacy to ensure that the voice against torture is not drowned out by the chorus of the global military bandwagon".
In the final session of the conference, participants voted unanimously in favour of a resolution demanding radical changes to the current policy of detaining asylum seekers.
It read: "This conference of mental health professionals is concerned with the determinants of social and emotional well-being. The participants represent a large range of mental health disciplines and programs, and have extensive experience of working with marginalised populations. Much research has been presented concerning the destructive effects of the Commonwealth government's immigration policy on the social and emotional well-being of refugees. Specifically its policy of indefinitely detaining asylum-seekers without trial has a major impact on children's development and the mental health of adults.
"In the light of these observations, it calls on the major Australian political parties:
"1. To revoke the policy and practice of detaining asylum-seekers, and especially children and their families, indefinitely without trial, because it causes psychological trauma that is likely to have long-term effects, and other international models for processing of refugee status claims show that it is unnecessary.
"2. To remove children and their families from detention centres, and unaccompanied children to the care of appropriate foster-carers as soon as possible, because the detention environment does not provide for children's developmental needs, is abusive to children, and is likely to cause lasting harm (see statement 1).
"3. To refrain from the use of derogatory language and racist scapegoating of asylum-seekers (e.g. 'queue-jumpers', 'illegals', 'terrorists'), and their response to stress (e.g. self-harm being described as 'manipulation'). The great majority of asylum-seekers are found to be genuine refugees. Such language causes significant harm to their sense of identity, security and cultural integration.
"4. To abolish the category of 'Temporary Protection Visa', since this maintains asylum-seekers in a state of uncertainty which prolongs their stress-related disabilities, and prevents them from reuniting with their families, accessing appropriate services, rebuilding their lives and contributing to Australian society.
"5. To restore the access of asylum-seekers to judicial review of administrative decisions, and to judicial processes where their interests can be fairly represented, given that erroneous, non-reviewable decisions provoke anger at injustice, and may have fatal consequences for the applicants.
"6. The conference participants acknowledge that there will be some time delay between demands for the closure of detention centres and the actual implementation of alternative measures for asylum seekers to reside in the community. Without compromise to our demand to close detention centres, we call on the government to implement the following:
"a) An Immigration Detention Advisory Group to act as a genuinely independent body reporting to the ministers of immigration, health and community services, and which is assisted by appointment of or consultation with an expert group of health, welfare and legal professionals, drawing on best evidence and practice in this area.
"b) Independent health, welfare, educational and legal services to all asylum seekers."
From Green Left Weekly, October 30, 2002.
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