URGENT ACTION IN LIGHT OF THE AUSTRALIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION’S REPORT ON YONGAH HILL IMMIGRATION DETENTION CENTRE
Today, the Australian Human Rights Commission released a damning report on the conditions at the Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre in Western Australia. The report outlines 33 recommendations aimed at safeguarding the human rights of detainees, staff, and all individuals in immigration detention across the country.
‘The Commission’s findings raised grave concerns about the safety and well-being of
those detained at Yongah Hill, and as an abolitionist organisation dedicated to justice and the rights of all individuals, we vehemently oppose the detention of any person and demand the immediate release of those held at Yongah Hill and similar facilities,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘Detention is not the answer; it is a harmful practice that inflicts further trauma on individuals who are often already vulnerable,’ said Debbie Kilroy. ‘This government is warehousing people in prisons they like to call detention centres, devoid of the necessary care and support they require, but as a National Network, we advocate for a system that prioritises community-based care, where people can receive the support, dignity, and respect they deserve,’ said Tabitha Lean. ‘As a National Network, we believe it is time for
a radical shift in our approach to immigration detention. Places like Yongah Hill are not places of safety; they are dehumanizing environments that perpetuate harm. It is time for a new approach focused on community-based support and dignity,’ said Tabitha.
The findings of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s report are a stark reminder of the urgent need to end the practice of immigration detention. People deserve to be treated with compassion and respect, not locked away in facilities that fail to uphold their basic human rights. As a National Network, we call on the Australian government to heed the recommendations of the Australian Human Rights Commission and take decisive steps towards the release and care of all individuals in immigration detention.
About Us:
The National Network of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls
represents women, girls, feminine identifying and non-binary people who are currently in prison, who have been to prison, those who are currently living within the confines of the criminal injustice system and those who have exited the system.
Our Network in Australia was founded in 2020 by Debbie Kilroy of Sisters Inside and
remains an abolitionist organisation committed to ending the incarceration of women and girls. Collectively we argue that prison will never be a safe place for women or girls, and in fact they are places that entrench poverty, increase trauma and cause further social and economic harm. Prisons, in our opinion, do not result in an increase in public or community safety.
COLLECTIVE STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE NATIONAL NETWORK OF INCARCERATED & FORMERLY INCARCERATED WOMEN & GIRLS BY
DEBBIE KILROY. TABITHA LEAN
0419 762 474 0499 780 226
