10 June 2004

‘For Whom the Bells toll’: 162 Children in Mandatory Detention
Church Protest Calls for their Release

At 5.15pm today, church bells will ring out across Australia, in protest at the ongoing detention of children in detention centres in Australian and Nauru. The 10th of June is the deadline given to the Commonwealth Government by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission for releasing the 162 remaining children and their parents from detention centres.

Brenda Hubber, of the Melbourne Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office, and mother of two, said:

“We have not forgotten these children and their families. We are asking every church to ring their bells for 5-10 minutes from 5.15 pm. A great injustice is occuring in the land and the bells are a wake up call to Australians that the mistreatment of children in detention must end.”

“We think that there is a better way for Australia to treat asylum seekers and we know it is wrong to imprison Children. Children in immigration detention, for long periods of time are at risk of serious mental harm”, she said.

“We will continue to ring the bells on the 10th of each month until every man, woman and child have been released from mandatory detention,“ she said.

For further information: Brenda Hubber: 0413 248 186

The report of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, ‘A Last Resort: The Report of the National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention’ can be viewed at www.hreoc.gov.au