Mon Jun 6, 2011 12:29PM
Asylum-seekers in Australia have protested the condition of detention centers.
Australian authorities have strongly rejected the United Nations' call for changes to the detention and treatment of asylum seekers.
Earlier this year, the UN made a list of 145 recommendations, calling on the Australian government to revoke its policy of mandatory detention for asylum seekers who enter the country illegally.
"The Australian government considers mandatory detention an essential component of strong border control, which manages risks to the community," the centre-left Labor administration of Prime Minister Julia Gillard said in a statement.
It said asylum seekers were only detained if they were classed as unauthorized arrivals, presented unacceptable risks to the community, or repeatedly refused to comply with visa conditions.
"Mandatory detention is based on unauthorized arrival and not on individuals seeking asylum."
The Australian government has come under criticism that children are among thousands of asylum seekers housed in detention centers.
However, the government has promised to relocate unaccompanied minors and vulnerable families into community-based accommodation by the end of June 2011 while their immigration status is determined.
But in certain circumstances, children may still be held in low-security facilities within the immigration detention network, it said.
JR/AKM
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