Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Center

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Shield of the Camp (2012)
Secure entry and exit to the Yongah Hill Detention Center (2012)
Electric outside fence (2012)

The Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Center (German: Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Center ) is a high-security camp for boat people in Australia . The refugee camp, in which men in immigration detention are being held in accordance with Australia's migration and asylum policy , is about 95 kilometers east of Perth , the capital of Western Australia and 15 kilometers from Northam .

The refugee camp was put into operation on June 27, 2012 with a so-called medium risk standard and occupied with appropriate people. It should accommodate a maximum of 600 people, 150 of them in each camp complex. In 2017, the Australian Parliament decided that it should be refurbished with AUD 27.427 million and two of the four building complexes converted into a high-security complex in the warehouse. There should be space for 120 people in the high-security area.

camp

The so-called "green heart" of the camp

The refugee camp consists of four camp complexes with the names Eagle ( eagle ), Falcon ( falcon ), Hawk ( hawk ) and Swan ( swan ). They can be occupied by single men over the age of 18 with a capacity of 150 people each. The high-security camp is demarcated by internal fences up to 5.10 meters high. The external fences are equipped with barbed wire and surveillance cameras to prevent escapes. Inside the camp there are security doors and gates that, in addition to the fences, subdivide the camp complexes.

In the camp there is the so-called "Green Heart" (German: "Green Heart"), a large leisure area that can be used for leisure activities from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, except at lunchtime.

Accommodation

Bunk bed
Toilet with washing facilities

The bedrooms are occupied by two people. They contain a bunk bed, a small refrigerator, a TV and a cupboard each. A toilet is attached to the bedroom. According to an inspection by the Australian Human Rights Commission in May 2017, the living quarters are criticized by individual inmates as too small and the beds are too narrow.

Each storage complex has a room with several washing machines, a common room with a kitchenette, seating and a TV. Gardens are laid out outside.

Leisure time

Reading library

For the inmates' leisure activities, there are offers for English lessons, sports activities, cooking, art and design exercises, music lessons, and community games and sports activities. In each warehouse complex there is a cafeteria , a TV room, play rooms (e.g. with pool tables ), a room for artistic and handicraft design, further classrooms and a reading library. There is also a room for prayer. For these purposes, all rooms should be appropriately equipped with appropriate objects and materials.

Accompanied excursions are offered, for example hiking and swimming, but also visits to wildlife parks, museums and gardens.

Catering

Bread, flour and milk can be obtained individually around the clock in the individual warehouse complexes. The food is prepared in the central kitchen of the camp and served in the respective cafeteria buildings. The cooking possibilities in the individual rooms of the inmates are limited. Food from the cafeteria may not be taken into your own living space. According to the Australian Human Rights Commission, several inmates criticize that the food is not appropriately varied and healthy.

Points as a means of payment

Points are used as a means of payment that are issued weekly. The camp inmates receive 25 points per week for the purchase of cigarettes, drinks, snacks, phone cards and hygiene items. Participation in activities can earn an additional 25 points and an additional 10 points for good behavior.

safety

The warehouse is operated by the private company Serco Security on behalf of the Australian state . The staff of this security company mostly wears body cams , is equipped with disposable plastic cuffs and wears personal protective equipment (personal protective equipment, helmets and shields) if this is deemed necessary. However, they do not carry weapons.

Some inmates feel unsafe, according to the Australian Human Rights Commission, and report brawls, self-harm and attempted suicide . Inmates interviewed believe that some of the inmates have a criminal background and are drug addicts, according to the Australian Human Rights Commission. Respondents also said that the effects of immigration detention negatively affect their mentality and behavior and make them insecure. The Australian Human Rights Commission also received individual reports of bullying and use of violence among one another and by security staff.

Health care

Medical treatment room

There is a medically well-equipped clinic in the camp that is open Monday through Friday and has a full-time general practitioner and nine nurses.

External communication

phone

Telephones outside

In February 2017, the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) changed its policy on phones. DIBP allegedly undertook this according to media information. Because inmates of the camps used mobile phones to organize criminal activities, harassed other inmates, created unrest and escalated it and prepared plans for an outbreak with outside support. According to these instructions, inmates of the camp had to hand over their cell phones. In mid-February, the Federal Court of Australia overturned this ministerial decision. However, some inmates who had already handed in the phones did not get them back. The Australian Commission on Human Rights was also reported that cell phones were lifted from some inmates shortly after their arrival. The Australian Human Rights Commission stressed that there was no legal basis for this behavior. Fixed line telephones are freely available.

Internet

Computer room

Internet access with personal computers is possible in a computer room in the main building. Each inmate can use these computers for 1½ hours per day or 10 hours in total per week. The Australian Commission on Human Rights found that there were complaints about computer use for both varied and legitimate reasons. Above all, the Commission mentioned the lack of protection for personal conversations on the Internet and the different functions of these computers.

Visits

Visits from friends or relatives are possible in the camp, they take place in separate rooms. Rooms for personal conversation between inmates are also provided.

complaints

People in immigration detention have the right to complain to national and international organizations about the conditions of detention and about legal violations against them. The Australian Commission on Human Rights suggested that camp inmates be better informed about these rights and suggested appropriate action.

Duration of detention

In some cases, the Australian Human Rights Commission found that some inmates had only been in the camp for a short time. However, half of the respondents have been in the camp for a year, in some cases significantly longer, in some cases even two years or more.

Alternatives to immigration detention

The agreement between the Australian government and the Australian Commission on Human Rights seeks in certain cases other rules than immigration detention for a certain group of people, especially children and other similar persons. These people should either be accommodated in shared accommodation outside of the city or receive so-called bridging visas . A bridging visa is a temporary residence permit in which people can raise their concerns. This is because applying this proposal has shown that the status of the persons concerned can be clarified much faster.

Processing of asylum applications

The asylum applications of the camp inmates are processed and supervised by personal case managers from the DIBP. They should also take care of the well-being of the people they care for. According to the Australian Human Rights Commission, this task is inadequately fulfilled. A significant number of inmates complained about the use of the case managers: This applies to both their lack of assistance and their lack of knowledge about who is responsible for them and how to contact them. Furthermore, there is a frequent change of persons by the supervising case manager in the course of the application processing.

Current situation

Sexual assault

On September 18, the Australian press reported a sexual assault committed by a Serco employee in the camp. The victim had reported the incident to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) (Australian Federal Police). The latter did nothing, however, because the AFP could only take action if the Australia Border Force (AFB) (Australian Border Guard) was aware of the incident and allowed access to the camp. This had not happened and because of these competence problems nothing had been done.

Riots

At the beginning of September 2018 there was unrest in the camp. A 21-year-old Iraqi who was staying in the Falcon camp complex and had made several suicide attempts was brought back to the camp after being hospitalized. Shortly afterwards, he was found dead in his cell. After an inmate from the Hawk camp complex asked about the young man and received no information, riots broke out in the camp. In the course of this unrest, arson and vandalism occurred, which caused a small group of inmates, according to official sources. The fire was fought by 20 firefighters, and there was considerable damage to buildings and property. Some of the inmates involved in the disturbance had to spend the night with handcuffs on the floor after they were taken into custody and were then distributed via the network of Australian refugee camps. A large number of them came to the Christmas Island Immigration Reception and Processing Center, far away .

This was not the first unrest in this camp, as unrest broke out as early as March 2015 after an argument among the inmates. As a result of the unrest, a Nigerian man was hospitalized in critical condition.

According to press information from January 16, 2019, 300 camp inmates were said to be on a hunger strike on the third day because they believed that their human rights had been violated. The Australian Border Force , which is responsible for prosecuting such circumstances, announced on January 22, 2019 that it was a misreporting of the press because no one was on a hunger strike. On February 26, 2019, the press published that around 100 inmates in the camp were on hunger strike. As evidence of the strike, the inmates had sent a resolution to the Department of Home Affairs and the Perth press, stressing in the resolution that they had been in a peaceful protest since January 14th. This has now lasted 43 days and the same peaceful protest is also taking place in the Villawood Immigration Detention Center in Sydney and in the Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Center near Melbourne .

See also

Australian camp for asylum seekers

Web links

Commons : Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Center  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 3. Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Center Security Upgrades , from 2017, to Parliament of Australia . Retrieved May 6, 2019
  2. ↑ Inspection of Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Center 16 - 18 May 2017 (English), pp. 11/12, from 2017, on Australian Human Rights Commission . Retrieved May 6, 2019
  3. ↑ Inspection of Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Center 16 - 18 May 2017 (English), pp. 15/16, from 2017, on Australian Human Rights Commission . Retrieved May 6, 2019
  4. ↑ Inspection of Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Center 16 - 18 May 2017 (English), p. 17, from 2017, on Australian Human Rights Commission . Retrieved May 6, 2019
  5. ↑ Inspection of Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Center 16 - 18 May 2017 (English), p. 19, from 2017, on Australian Human Rights Commission . Retrieved May 6, 2019
  6. ↑ Inspection of Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Center 16 - 18 May 2017 (English), pp. 11/12, from 2017, on Australian Human Rights Commission . Retrieved May 6, 2019
  7. ↑ Inspection of Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Center 16 - 18 May 2017 (English), pp. 19/20, from 2017, on Australian Human Rights Commission . Retrieved May 6, 2019
  8. ↑ Inspection of Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Center 16-18 May 2017 (English), pp. 22/23, from 2017, on Australian Human Rights Commission . Retrieved May 6, 2019
  9. ↑ Inspection of Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Center 16 - 18 May 2017 (English), pp. 23/24, from 2017, on Australian Human Rights Commission . Retrieved May 6, 2019
  10. ↑ Inspection of Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Center 16 - 18 May 2017 (English), p. 25, from 2017, on Australian Human Rights Commission . Retrieved May 6, 2019
  11. ↑ Inspection of Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Center 16 - 18 May 2017 (English), pp. 26/27, from 2017, on Australian Human Rights Commission . Retrieved May 6, 2019
  12. ↑ Inspection of Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Center 16 - 18 May 2017 (English), p. 27, from 2017, on Australian Human Rights Commission . Retrieved May 6, 2019
  13. ↑ a b Serco guard at Western Australia immigration center accused of sexual assault , September 18, 2018, on The Guardian . Retrieved May 5, 2019
  14. ↑ James Carmody, Laura Meachim: Yongah Hill detention center riot breaks out after alleged suicide attempt by detainee , September 3, 2018, on Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved May 6, 2019
  15. ↑ Nicolas Perpitch: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-06/tensions-at-yongah-hill-immigration-detention-centre/6285502 , March 6, 2015, on Australian Broadcasting Corporation . accessed on May 6, 2019
  16. ↑ Rebekah Holt: Yongah Hill detainees continue hunger strike over conditions , January 16, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2019
  17. ↑ Border Force denies reports of mass hunger strike at Yongah Hill , January 22, 2019, on advonadvocate.com.au. Retrieved May 5, 2019
  18. ↑ Yongah Hill Detention Center detainees go on hunger strike to protest 'breaches of our human rights' , February 26, 2019, on Perth Now. Retrieved May 6, 2019