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HUMANITY OVER POLITICS 19
no exemptions or additional legal
support for children.
In this process, unaccompanied
minors face additional hurdles;
including age assessment
interviews to determine whether
they are actually under 18, and then
the prospect of turning 18 and
having the little support they have
received removed as they are now
deemed adults.
These children don’t have an adult
to speak for them or tell their
stories. In obtaining their history,
often rife with torture, trauma and
other horror stories, a particular
consideration and empathy is
required. Most of these children
will not have received an extensive
education, so will have difficulty
recalling and confirming dates and
addresses, essential when applying
for protection in Australia.
This clinic provides a service
catering to the additional needs of
these vulnerable unaccompanied
children. This service provides
a voice for some of the most
vulnerable asylum seekers in
Australia, children without a
significant adult presence in their
life, children who have no protector,
no guide.
Unaccompanied Children on
Christmas Island Project
RACS has advocated to the UN
Human Rights Committee, the
Minister and the Australian Human
Rights Commission on behalf of 30
unaccompanied children at risk of
transfer to Nauru.
Our representation of these children
ensures they have a voice, someone
who will speak out on their behalf.
Our complaints to the UN have
been lodged and we hope may
prevent their transfer off Christmas
Island.
Thanks to generous donations,
RACS sent 3 lawyers to Christmas
Island to take thorough statements
of their protection claims and
ensure any human rights breaches
that have occurred while they are in
detention are recorded.
Small Mercies Project
RACS is part of an ARC project
“Small Mercies, Big Futures - a
cross-institutional research project
looking at asylum, settlement and
resettlement for children”. With
the support of the Small Mercies
project, RACS has developed childfocused
policies and our “Best
Practice Guidelines for Working
with Children Seeking Asylum”.
These guidelines aim to provide
a practical tool that migration
agents in Australia can use when
representing young people. The
guidelines cover a range of topics
including ethical principles, child
development, mental health and
interviewing skills. Since their
development, RACS has been
invited to speak at the Refugee
Youth in Focus conference at USYD,
the NACLC conference and the
Unaccompanied Minors symposium.