Systematic failure at Manus centre, ex-worker says

THE Salvation Army was a poor cultural fit and ill-equipped to manage the gravely difficult situation in the Manus Island detention centre, a former worker has alleged.
The worker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, has described a ‘systematic failure’ of the Salvation Army’s work on the offshore processing centre in Papua New Guinea, including allegations of rapes among detainees and incompetent psychological care provided to asylum seekers.
“People were walking around with wounds that wouldn’t be addressed,” the worker who worked on the island during 2013 said.
“There was no accountability, no structure, no case management system. There was no management plan, I had to make them up on the run.”
As the Salvation Army finished its 18-month contract last month, workers continue to speak out about the inefficiency of the Christian organisation that won a hurried $74 million contract under the Labor government in 2012.
The latest allegations mirror those of Mark Issacs, a former worker who was stationed on Australia’s other offshore detention centre in Nauru and recently wrote a book detailing his experiences, titled The Undesirables.
In his book, the 26-year old describes the inadequacy of the organisation, where many young Australian workers who were sent to the detention centre with less than a few days notice did not even understand what an asylum seeker was. “The implementation of the mission was very different to the ideals for the Salvation Army,” he told Fairfax Media.
The worker agreed that in the in­itial stages of the ‘mission’ on Manus Island, many case workers were not adequately trained to deal with asylum seekers who suffered from trauma or had suffered gross human rights abuses.
In many instances the workers had high expertise in natural disasters such as fires or floods, but not trauma counselling.
“If they were Christian, they were more likely to be approved,” the worker said. “They sent over officers and management whose background was counselling people who had been stuck in floods and natural disaster training. That was the main issue – they thought they could replicate a Christian model into the camp.”
The Salvation Army has disputed the claims, saying its staff had constant support on Manus Island and “a range of training was available”.
“At all times, staff were fully supported by a comprehensive employee assistance programme provided on (the) island by an external clinical psychology firm, in addition to Salvation Army supports and debriefing,” a Salvation Army spokesman said.
As weeks turned into months on the island, the worker alleges rapes between detainees became common, yet rarely addressed.
“The Hazara boys were very pretty looking and were a target among the Iraqi and Iranian men,” the worker said. “No service provider knew what they were doing.”
As inquiries are being made into the death of asylum seeker Reza Barati, the worker claims that during 2013 the relationship between detainees and local police was concerning, where weapons and, in one instance, a home brewing kit, were found in the detainees’ rooms. – smh.com.au