For greater than a decade, mandatory offshore detention has been a cornerstone of Australia's technique to stop people arriving by boat searching for asylum. Then there's onshore detention where people without valid visas are held in centers and transit accommodation in mainland Australia.
Today, we show the human cost of those policies on the mental health of asylum seekers who were once detained.
our A new studyThe largest of its kind, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), shows high rates of depression and suicidal thoughts amongst those that have previously experienced detention – particularly foreign detention.
Our findings come as several other countries are exploring their very own versions of offshore detention.
which we did
We surveyed 990 adult refugees and asylum seekers living within the Australian community between 2011 and 2018. This included 775 individuals who had never been held in a prison and 215 who had been detained after which released.
It is the biggest known dataset available globally that measures the mental health of pre-detained asylum seekers.
Of those that were detained, some were detained only onshore and others were held in foreign detention before being transferred to onshore detention.
Using participants' responses to questionnaires, we determined the possible presence of psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, depression or suicidal ideation (intense and recurrent thoughts about ending one's life).
What we found
We found that detention greatly increased someone's risk of significant mental illness. Those who had been detained were more more likely to later show symptoms of PTSD, depression and suicidal ideation than those that had not been detained.
But not all detention experiences have the identical mental health risk.
Those who had been detained on the beach were 16.5–20.2 times more more likely to report PTSD, five times more more likely to report depression, and 4.6–5.2 times more more likely to report suicidal ideation. was higher, in comparison with those that had been detained on the beach for lower than six months. .
A link between foreign detention and mental illness just isn't surprising. However, we were surprised by the magnitude of this effect.
Prolonged detention on shore also had serious mental health consequences. Those detained ashore for six months or more were 16.9 times more more likely to report PTSD than those detained ashore for lower than six months. They were 5.5 times more more likely to have
Our results are consistent with this. A major research institute Documenting the harmful psychological effects of internment ashore (esp Long term). However, that is the primary time we've got empirical data to point out a fair more damaging effect of foreign detention.
How did we get here?
Since 2012, 4,296 people Those detained at sea on Nauru or Mans Island under the Australian Government. Foreign Processing Policy.
Going together with the policy. Mandatory shore detention In detention centers and transit accommodation on mainland Australia.
Domestic and international courts have ruled Australia's mandatory detention practices, particularly indefinite immigration detention and offshore detention, illegal in certain circumstances. gave United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has repeatedly called for an end to Australia's offshore detention policy.
Despite this, foreign detention continues. Although all people living on Nauru were relocated to the Australian mainland in June 2023, more people have since arrived. In September 2023, the Australian government began relocating individuals who had arrived on Nauru by boat. Recent estimates suggest. About 100 People have been moved there.
But research over the past decade has shown that marine detention is each expensive and ineffective. Analysis of migration patterns in Australia and elsewhere has shown that such policies don't work to stop people from searching for asylum.
Overseas detention can also be expensive. It costs approx. 22 million dollars for Australia to detain and process an individual at sea for one yr; The annual cost of managing a single person locally can be $3,962.
Other countries should pay attention to this.
Our findings have implications for other countries that currently practice similar offshore detention models – also known as “third country processing”.
In February 2024, one Foreign Processing Deal These detention centers were ratified between Italy and Albania in October 2024. opened.
In April 2024, the UK passed. Legislation Relocating asylum seekers to Rwanda, a move that has been repeated. The United Nations condemned.. Despite Britain's newly elected Labor government In July, he promised to repeal the bill.it hasn't happened yet. Instead, Britain is watching Italy-Albania Asylum Seekers Agreement with interest.
Denmark too Resumed negotiations with Rwanda. Outsourcing the processing of asylum seekers to Denmark. Denmark's Minister of Immigration also recently Visited Nauru..
Actions by governments searching for to keep up or institute foreign detention and processing policies are particularly inconsistent with anecdotal evidence on the human and economic costs, and now clear evidence of the psychological burden of such practices.
are Evidence-based alternatives in foreign custody. These include conducting timely and humane ashore operations and assisting regional neighbors to offer a welcoming resettlement environment for people searching for refuge from war and persecution.
Our findings strongly caution against the continuation, or establishment, of immigration detention policies that end in people being detained, particularly at sea or in prolonged detention.