Mental health workers say Australia knew of refugee child abuse

By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - A group of psychiatrists and social workers formerly employed at an Australian offshore immigration detention center publicly accused the government on Tuesday of failing to act over systemic child sexual abuse at the controversial facility. Australia has been criticized at home and abroad for its tough immigration policies, including sending asylum seekers to camps in impoverished Papua New Guinea and Nauru, where they face long periods of detention. "The government of Australia and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection have tolerated the physical and sexual assault of children, and the sexual harassment and assault of vulnerable women in the center for more than 17 months," the workers said. A report by the Australian Human Rights Commission in February found nearly 300 instances of actual or threatened self-harm among roughly 800 children held in Australia's offshore camps between January 2013 and March 2014. via Health News Headlines - Yahoo News Read More Here..