Trans Women in Villawood Detention Share Experiences of Abuse & Discrimination
Deprived of Healthcare and Housed in Isolation, Transgender women speak out.
Please carefully consider your needs when reading the following story about transmisogyny and sexual abuse. If this material raises concerns for you contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, or see other ways you can seek help in Australia, US, UK or internationally. Names and Places have been changed for privacy. —Lucy
Four transgender women detained at Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney have come forward with serious allegations of mistreatment, including denial of essential healthcare, verbal and physical abuse, and inappropriate housing conditions.
These women, some merely just returning home to Australia and some with fears of persecution in their home countries due to their gender identities, were detained when trying to enter Australia.
Housed in isolation, separated from the women’s unit, the four women are watched over by six male guards, with no privacy from the guards or each other.
“We have different personalities, they squeeze us [into a shared room] and monitor us all time, they put stress on us that sometimes we fight each other. However we forgive and get along so far.”
International Health and Medical Services, the organisation responsible for healthcare within Australia’s onshore immigration detention network, have allegedly refused to treat the transgender women in detention as women, violating Australian law & human rights obligations. This results in the women being subject to invasive searches by male guards.
Some of the women have also experienced sexual assault, with unwanted touching by guards and male detainees. At least one of the women was housed for a time with the male population, which resulted in her experiencing abuse and sexual assault.
When I first transferred to Villawood they put me with male detainees for day activities. […] I was sexually assaulted by male detainees (touched, my breast grabbed)
The women have been additionally subjected to long waits for access to transgender healthcare and have experienced being prescribed very low dosages of essential hormones.
“I [..] didn’t receive hormone therapy for 8 weeks, and just recently I got it, however the dosage is very low. When it comes to healthcare [..] it's often delayed or inconsistent.
Access to hormone replacement therapy is a critical medical necessity for transgender people, particularly those who have already medically transitioned. For these women, delays and inconsistencies in receiving HRT can take a severe physical toll.
The women are requesting to be released from detention with an apology, compensation for the treatment and abuse sustained, and training and policy changes for ABF and Serco staff.
“I fear persecution in my home country due to my gender identity. I have strong ties to Australia, including my partner Sarah in Brisbane, friends, community, and a desire to contribute.”
AMSWAG, an advocacy group for Asian migrant sex workers, has started an open letter petition calling on the Federal Government to ensure dignity and safety for transgender people in detention. You can sign on to the open letter at the link here.