Released today by the University of Sydney and the Australian Human Rights Commission, the report highlights the harm children and young people experience when a parent or caregiver is detained or deported.

“A Ripple Effect of Suffering”: Children and Young People’s Experiences of Parental Immigration Detention and Deportation draws on 104 in-depth interviews, as well as 105 online survey responses, to tell the stories of children and young people growing up in the shadow of Australia’s immigration detention and deportation systems.

While detention and deportation are topics hotly contested in Australian politics, children and young people seldom get the chance to share their stories or contribute to policy discussions.

This report centres children and young people’s words and drawings, allowing their voices to be heard for the first time.

The report’s lead author, Dr Michelle Peterie from the School of Social and Political Sciences said that “When a parent is detained or deported, children often feel like their world has been shattered”.  

The report highlights children and young people’s experiences of family separation, emotional distress and financial strain. When a parent or caregiver is detained or deported, children and young people frequently take on adult responsibilities that disrupt their schooling and prevent them from just ‘being kids’.

“While children and young people do a heroic job of stepping up and helping their families”, Dr Peterie said, “they often do this at great personal cost”.  

National Children’s Commissioner Deb Tsorbaris said that the stories collected in this report add a vital new perspective to Australia’s debates on visa cancellation, immigration detention and deportation.

“Their stories paint a different picture to the usual view presented in the media of people whose visas have been cancelled on character grounds, showing that many are also parents or caregivers. Children suffer the consequences of adult and government actions through no fault of their own.”

The report includes children and young people’s thoughts on how they could be better supported, and what should be done to prevent other families from harm in the future.