The Australian Human Rights Commission says it holds "grave concerns" for the welfare of asylum seekers, particularly mothers and children, on Christmas Island.
Commission president Gillian Triggs has recounted her inspection of the centre last week as part of a national inquiry into the mandatory detention of children seeking asylum in Australia.
Professor Triggs says conditions have worsened markedly since her last visit four months ago.
Almost all of the child asylum seekers inside the Christmas Island immigration detention centre are reportedly sick and distressed, with many wetting the bed and some developing severe speech impediments and having flashbacks.
There are 1,102 asylum seekers in the centre, including 174 children, and Professor Triggs says she and her team interviewed hundreds of detainees over three days.
"Almost all of them, including the adults, were coughing, were sick, were depressed, unable to communicate, were weak," she told AM.
"Some of them [are] not leaving their cabins, are not eating."
The inspection coincided with the first anniversary of the starting date - July 19, 2013 - of the Government's policy not to allow asylum seekers arriving by boat to settle in Australia.
Professor Triggs was accompanied by leading paediatrician Professor Elizabeth Elliott.
"We have seen children who have become sad, they are crying all the time," Dr Elliott said.
"They have developed bed wetting and poor sleeping. Some are refusing to eat.
"We saw several children, which is quite distressing, who had developed severe speech impediments.
"They were having flashbacks and nightmares."
Christmas Island 'no place for young children'
There are almost half the number of children at the centre compared to the last Human Rights Commission visit in March, but Professor Elliott says that is still too many under current conditions.
"Christmas Island is no place for young children," she said.
Professor Triggs says there is an unprecedented rate of self-harm among children.
She says 128 cases have been reported in the last 15 reporting months.
"The desperation is palpable ... and the boredom of the children with no school, nothing to do," Professor Triggs said.
"It is very well known, as a matter of research, that children decline much more rapidly than their parents do.
"There is no eye contact with some of them."
Professor Elliott says she was especially concerned about the unaccompanied minors.
"[There were] boys aged 14 to 17 who had seen violence such as shooting and abduction of relatives at home and were now in the detention centre and really felt that they had no future," she said.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has called on Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to immediately remove the children, describing conditions on Christmas Island as "child abuse".
"It is not tenable to keep women and children in those conditions any longer. They should be brought to the Australian mainland," she said.
"We don't have to be treating refugees as if they are criminals."
The Human Rights Commission would also like access to the children being held on the Australian-run offshore processing centre on the Pacfiic Island nation of Nauru, but have been told it does not have jurisdiction.
Senator Hanson-Young says Nauru should be opened up.
"Just imagine how bad it is on Nauru, where there is even less transparency and less access from the outside world," she said.
Morrison says number of child detainees has declined
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison is returning from a trip to India, but in a statement, his office says the minister is drawing down the numbers of child detainees.
"The number of children in held detention has declined by over 35 per cent under this Government, from more than 1,300 at the time of the election down to 849, and the number of children in detention on Christmas Island has been reduced by more than 60 per cent," it said.
"The Government reiterates its intention to reduce the number of children in detention to return to what it was under the Howard government. Just before the Labor came to government there were no .. children in (immigration) detention."
A spokeswoman for Mr Morrison says "in July last year, under Labor, at its peak there were 1,992 children in held detention".
"It is disappointing that such an inquiry was not undertaken, or even contemplated, when the number of children in detention was at that peak," she said.
Detainees 'reaching the end of the tether'
Mothers on Christmas Island reported to the Human Rights Commission delegation that their children were constantly sick with chest or gut infections and were developmentally delayed.
The women reported being afraid to put babies on the ground for fear of dirt, stones and animals.
Professor Elliott says Christmas Island is a poor environment for raising young children.
"Mothers complain that there is just nowhere for them to put their children down to crawl and learn to walk and there is very limited space within their own cabins for children to move about," she said.
A spokeswoman for Mr Morrison says he was concerned about the reports of illness.
"After following this matter up today the Minister has been advised that chest and gut infections are not pervasive at the facility, as alleged, and that any illness is treated with proper and appropriate medical and other support," she said.
"The suggestions made today reflect unfairly on their dedicated efforts and professionalism."
Professor Triggs says the mothers are struggling themselves.
Her inspection took place while a small group of the female detainees, including mothers, were on official watch after threatening self-harm.
She says the number of women on 24-hour watch constitutes a spike in serious cases of self-harm or suicide attempts.
"When we were there, and I can speak very categorically about this, there were 13 women on high-level risk monitoring for suicide, 10 of them requiring 24-hour watch," Professor Triggs said.
Christmas Island has a visiting adult psychiatrist and a visiting child and adolescent psychiatrist.
Of the detainees they spoke to, Professor Elliott says all of them had some sort of mental health problem.
"What we witnessed really was, with this long duration of detention to one extent of another, people are just reaching the end of the tether," Professor Elliott told RN Breakfast.
"They have had enough."
Mr Morrison's office says health care and support, including mental health care, is provided onsite by medical practitioners, mental health nurses, psychologists, counsellors and visiting psychiatrists.
"For privacy reasons, it is not appropriate for the Minister to comment on a person's individual circumstances," it said.
"It is longstanding Government practice not to confirm or comment on reports of individual acts of self-harm."
Government responds to request for education
There is one hope, according to Professor Triggs - the children will soon be able to go to school.
Professor Triggs says the Government has responded to her request for education for the children.
More stories about asylum seekers
- Fact file: Why the fate of 153 asylum seekers is in the hands of the High Court
- Number of women on self-harm watch at Christmas Island rises
- Mothers' self-harm won't influence asylum policy, Abbott says
- Asylum seekers may be held at sea for weeks if High Court hears case
- Workers to be forced to give evidence at detention inquiry
She says teachers should be on the island within a couple of weeks.
"That is probably the most important ray of light in the current situation," Professor Triggs said.
"They will be able to have a routine to their days.
"Their parents will have the routine of getting them to school and making sure their homework is done."
A spokeswoman for the Immigration Minister says the decision to improve education facilities was made well before and independently of discussions with Professor Triggs.
"It was made following the Minister's visit to Christmas Island in November last year and was taken through the Cabinet process," she said.
Professor Triggs hopes the school will transform life within the camp, but says she wants more from the Federal Government.
"It does not take away from the fact that they (the asylum seekers) are still sitting in a legal limbo with no sense of a future and no sense that they are going to be sent anywhere that is safe," she said.
"The Government is stripping away their personal dignity because they can't even cling onto the fact that they are legally recognised as a refugee within the global community."
The inquiry into children in Australian immigration detention is expected to report to the Government before the end of the year.abc.net.au
