Amnesty International has consistently highlighted its concerns over the approach by the Australian Government of placing children in immigration detention.

Almost one year after a report by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) called on the Government to release children from detention, Amnesty International is seriously concerned that the Government continues to place children in a situation which has been shown to be damaging to both their physical and mental well being.

As a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Australia has given an international commitment to ensure that the best interests of the child are paramount.

Pulling children out of school and placing them into detention is clearly not in a child's best interest. Detention of children should be a last resort, and in the absence of compelling reasons why the child and their family should be detained, they should be released into the community.

As at 9 March 2005, 93 children are in detention.

Amnesty International continues to call for the release of all children and their families from immigration detention in Australia as well as on Nauru and Christmas Island.

For further information contact:

Barbie Dutter,
Media Coordinator,
Amnesty International Australia.
Tel: 02 9217 7620
Mob: 0422 869 439