OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA - "We oppose the policy of prolonged detention of asylum seekers and we are particularly concerned about the children": Council’s appeal for social justice

Sydney (Agenzia Fides) - The Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, ACSJC has expressed serious concern regarding the state of detention children and their families in search of asylum are subjected to. In a statement sent to Fides Agency, the strong disappointment of the President of the ACSJC, His Exc. Mgr. Christopher Saunders, Bishop of Broome is stressed: "The fact that asylum seekers, including children, were sent to Manus (in north of Papua New Guinea) is an alarm bell. After personally verifying the conditions in detention centers in Australia, and after reading the reports of Amnesty on the crisis in Nauru, we are very concerned about their well-being." Mgr. Saunders points out: "No child should be detained on a fixed term in any center. No person should be detained on a fixed term in an environment that we know will cause long-term damage." The Bishop concludes: "We oppose the policy of prolonged detention of asylum seekers, and we are particularly concerned about its effects on vulnerable people, especially children. We call on the Australian government to immediately release all children and their families from detention centers for immigrants located on land and offshore. " (AP) (Agenzia Fides 26/11/2012)