Contradictory Australian National Policies on Self-Harm And Suicide: The Case of Asylum Seekers in Mandatory Detention

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Abstract
Objective: This paper argues that the decision by the Australian Commonwealth Government to continue its policy of indefinite mandatory detention, without review, in the face of the accumulated evidence regarding the harmful effects, amounts to state-sponsored trauma and child neglect and/or abuse. Conclusions: The Australian government's policies supporting successful suicide prevention programs stand in contrast to its policy regarding indefinite mandatory detention of onshore asylumseekers. Men's and women's rates of suicidal behaviours in Australian immigration detention centres (IDCs), while imprecise, are calculated as 41 and 26 times the national average, respectively, and male IDC rates are 1.8 times the male prison rates. Self-harm in detention reflects a convergence of (child) health, protection and human rights concerns, and is driven by the extremity of detention and the detention environment. Recommendations are made for these concerns to be immediately addressed. It is noted that in handling this unprecedented situation, the government has not sought advice from its own advisory councils.