By Wida Tausif
Opinion
All children deserve a sanctuary.
Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) states children’s rights are human rights.
Under international law, every child regardless of their place of birth, race, religion, gender or socio-economic status is entitled to human rights.
Currently in Australia, Department of Immigration authorities collaborate with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to identify refugees who are in danger or have no future in their initial nation of asylum but cannot return to their country of origin.
Relocating these migrants to a safe nation like Australia is their best chance for survival and security.
Protecting children is a community responsibility.
We either share it or decline it totally.
Depriving vulnerable people of freedom impacts upon everyone, as we are limiting decency and opportunity within our acceptance.
By detaining children of asylum seekers, and classifying them as “illegals”, Australia is stripping them of opportunities to develop positive mental health and by doing so, we are violating children’s and human rights.
These children have hopes and aspirations, however, when there is little hope of being free with in our community, rights are violated, including access to health, education, and play.
As early childhood educators, we are looked to as pillars of our communities and must advocate for the protection of all children.
As Diversity Kids director Meni Tsambouniaris stated, “refugee children and their families are additions to the community and bring strengths, abilities and cultural knowledge”.
They make an important contribution and bring a lot to Australian society.
They have been successful in the arts, sports, media, science and business and volunteering within our communities.
They value the education of their children highly and research has shown that more young refugees’ study than other migrants and people who are born in Australia.
As an Early Childhood Educator, I have engaged with asylum seekers and refugees within the community, which has better informed me of refugee families and the impacts of detention while being detained for a period of time.
I came to know the traumas these families had faced in the detention.
There are many risk factors for refugee children who are detained, including the harm caused by detention being significantly and identifiably worse for children than adults.
At their ages and stages of development, they are more profoundly affected by being declined basic human rights.
The impact on children’s mental health and wellbeing is significant and these children are exposed to being traumatised by their time in detention, which later in their life can results in a range of negative outcomes.
Therefore, we as educators have an important role of advocating for the rights of the refugee children, so that these children have access to health, education, and social experiences with peers.
