Australia can no longer deny that its treatment of asylum seekers does not constitute torture

Yesterday we focused on the soft use of language by President Obama in relation to the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation” techniques, which are now understood to constitute torture. Today the theme is language still, but of a different kind as we welcome the comments of Dr Peter Young on the conditions asylum seekers face in Australian detention centres.

Dr Peter Young, former medical director for mental health at IHMS, gives evidence at the inquiry into children in immigration detention last week. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP (used courtesy of Guardian online)

Human rights organisations across the world congratulate Dr Young, former director of IHMS mental health services, the company responsible for healthcare in all of Australia’s detention centres, for his boldness and honesty in confronting what many have suspected for a long time: treatment in Australia’s asylum seeker detention centres is akin to torture.

Here is the most important quote from Dr Young:

“If we take the definition of torture to be the deliberate harming of people in order to coerce them into a desired outcome, I think it does fulfil that definition”

We at World Without Torture have written much in he past about Australia’s dreadful treatment of asylum seekers, not just in the detention centres but in the heavy-handed Australian approach of simply turning away all asylum seekers to their country of origin, regardless of the potential human rights abuses the man, woman or child faces in their homeland.

We, and many other organisations, have written extensively on the topic, calling for compassion towards asylum seekers, calling for Australia to uphold the rights or asylum seekers – particularly as a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention. Australia’s government should give fair and proper consideration, screening and treatment to anyone seeking asylum, to identify potential trauma and suffering which forced them to take the decision to leave their country. But even more basic than that, to assure basic protection of human rights, correct and fair treatment of asylum seekers is a must.

Thousands join a pro-asylum rally in Melbourne, Australia (courtesy of Ali Martin – used under Creative Commons Licence, Flickr)

Yet no one has ever spoken out that these horrifying conditions exist – politicians have denied there is torture and ill-treatment and much of the calls for prohibition of this treatment have been based on stories from detainees in the centres and observations made from external human rights groups.

But Dr Young’s bold admission – an admission that comes from direct experience in the detention centres – is a damning one, turning the spotlight directly onto Australia’s potential ignorance of its human rights obligations for the first time in this troubling story of continued torture of the most vulnerable people.

Now let’s hope politicians take note, not just of the honesty and openness, but of what must change right now to end this ill-treatment and ensure victims of this torture are able to access rehabilitation.

On the Forefront: Assuring safety for refugees in Sweden

Sweden has a good record when it comes to human rights and torture prevention and rehabilitation. But problems of excessive police force, and alleged mistreatment of refugees, still echo through the country each year.

A member of staff at the centre in Malmö treating one of their many clients

Providing support in these instances is the The Swedish Red Cross Center for Victims of Torture and War in Malmö. Primarily aimed at refugees and their families in Skåne, southern Sweden, the main mission of this Swedish IRCT member is to give support to refugees who have experienced war, imprisonment, torture and mistreatment while in exile to Sweden or in their home country.

Thanks to a wide range of knowledge and experience from the team of psychologists, doctors, therapists, physicians, social workers, secretaries, administrators and interpreters, the team is able to provide targeted holistic rehabilitation programmes to heal psychological, physical and social wounds.

Activities are also adapted to serve the families of the asylum seekers, undocumented migrants and refugees.

According to Amnesty International, enforced deportations of refugees to their home country – despite a risk of torture existing there – still occur in Sweden, as exemplified by the recent case ruled by the ECHR involving three Russian nationals and their deportation (I vs. Sweden).Thankfully the Swedish move to deport the refugees was blocked as it infringed Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects people from torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

It is only through the help of human rights defenders and networks such as the Red Cross in Malmö that authorities are being held to account, made aware of their obligations under international law, and refugees are being granted the safety they seek.

For more information on the Red Cross in Sweden, click this link.

Documentary delves into relationship between survivors and those who offer them treatment

“More than one million refugees have come to the US, fleeing torture and political violence,” begins Refuge: Caring for Survivors of Torture, an outstanding new documentary from the Refuge Media Project.

The vast numbers are staggering, but what makes a greater impression in this stand-out documentary are the small, individual stories from survivors and those who offer them care and support as they resettle in the US.

Ben Achtenberg, project director at the Refuge Media Project and producer/director of Refuge, says the film – seven years in the making – came about as his general interest in healthcare and mental health issues drew him to organisations and healthcare providers that offer support to survivors in the US. Previously, he was nominated for an Oscar for the film Code Gray: Ethical Dilemmas in Nursing, which he produced and served as cinematographer. Mr Achtenberg also won the 2009 IRCT Film Competition for his 30-second public service announcement.

“During the same period, I had started contributing to organizations that work with survivors and, in particular, was receiving the newsletters of Center for Victims of Torture in Minneapolis and similar groups around the country, about their work with survivors. At some point, it clicked that this was the film I should focus on.”

The stories presented in the approximately one-hour film are diverse, from a physician from Guatemala to an older man from Liberia who wishes to move his daughter to the US. They have different stories of torture, different stories of migration to the US, but they have all sought refuge and have found their way to the various featured torture treatment programmes, many of which are IRCT members. (A full list of organisations featured in the film can be found on their website)

Through the stories of survivors, both devastating and inspiring, we take home still another call to action – that healthcare professionals will, in fact, see a survivor of torture during their work, and they need to know what to look for and how to approach it so that the person can receive appropriate care.

“People who have survived torture are living everywhere in our communities, though you may not know who they are,” says Mr Achtenberg. “If you’re in or going into a healthcare or human services profession, you will encounter torture survivors in your client population. How you deal with them can have an impact on their ability to thrive in their new communities.”

It’s a delicate and caring relationship between the health professionals – doctors, therapists, social workers – and the survivors of torture they treat. “It’s a doctor that can listen to you and make you feel like you’re a human being,” says one survivor in the film. Another describes a mural painted by survivors at a centre in Boston: “We come from our countries, swimming across and arrive here naked, but you pick us up and give us back what we have lost.”

This wonderful film offers a unique perspective into the world of torture survivors, their experiences and reservations opening up, and into the world of the care-givers, as they approach the formidable task of helping them recover their dignity and life.

For more information on the film, please visit http://www.refugemediaproject.org/. To order a DVD of the documentary, email Ben at ben@refugemediaproject.org to inquire about pricing.