Gregory Clark, Woodend
The World Health Organisation (WHO, 2006, p. 9) defines child abuse as all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power.
Recently 6000 Australian doctors petitioned the government to bring children to Australia because of the deteriorating medical state they are in. We have had other independent doctors, psychologists, Médecins Sans Frontières, the former Australian Human Rights Commissioner and the United Nations Human Rights Council all call for children to be removed from detention on Nauru due to the physical and sexual abuse, psychological and medical risk posed to them. Yet our government, who supposedly represents Australians, consistently overrides all this expert advice. So according to the WHO definition, it appears to self-evident that our government is guilty of child abuse? You be the judge….
