Adele Horin writes about being 'young, alone and legally abandoned"

Writing in the SMH, Adele Horin tells a tale of child abuse in sunny Australia:

"THEY were smuggled out in the dead of night in the backs of trucks under hay or bags of flour. They were children from Afghanistan whose relatives were desperate to save them from the fate of older brothers or fathers, killed or kidnapped by the Taliban. Most of the children had no say in the decision, did not know where they were going, and had never heard of Australia.

And when these children - unaccompanied minors - arrived after traumatic boat journeys, Australia treated them as if they were adults, or in the care of adults, throwing them into detention centres, giving them no special help, or support.

Among asylum seekers, the children travelling alone were the most vulnerable group. But despite our professed love of children, Australia did not even notice them - not in official policy, at least. They were not assigned guardians or lawyers or told of their rights. Last year the law was changed so that children could no longer be put in detention except as a matter of last resort. It was a tiny step forward."

Read the whole article. When are Australians going to become rightly incensed over what has been done in our name?