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either domed corrugated iron barracks, called romney huts, or brack-like cinder block buildings, or tents, depending on the centre. In most centres, each person's home is a 4-foot by 6-foot board which he shares with up to 2 others, whom he might not know,
3-tier bunk bed where he can barely sit up straight. There is very little privacy anywhere in the centres.
in a
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Overcrowding also leads to or perpetuates many health problems mainly due to the lack of sanitation and communicable nature of the illnesses. Badly cooked, monotonous and, in some instances, insufficient food does not give the boat people, especially children, the nutrition they need. Also, the sick cannot recover because the pervasive noise in this large communal home consistently disrupts the needed rest. Furthermore, there is not adequate
medical care.
Asylum seekers also suffer because they have no way to be productive. The loss of their traditional role as a father who supports or a mother who takes care of the family, leaves men and frustrated and dispirited. They are able people and do not desire to be unwanted dependents of Hong Kong.
For the most part, asylum seekers are grateful for the services available in the camp. However, educational (for children), vocational (for adults), recreational, counseling, religious services are all limited and cannot nearly meet demands of the population. For example, a centre may boast about a woodwork shop, but in reality only about 12 asylum seekers can participate at a time. Only a few centres have begun to open a library. However, the libraries can only accommodate a small number or require a deposit by users, and thereby are inaccessible to the majority of detainees. There is not enough real stimulation for adults or children in the camps.
As child psychology experts have often pointed out, detention gravely affects children. The camps' unnatural setting, deprivation, surrounding depression and fear, including especially those of parents, will have harmful long term effects on the children and their development. As mentioned, the camps distort traditional family life and, as a result, children become confused. Very young children can often be heard swearing or seen playing cards or even occasionally sharpening "weapons". Parents' attempts to protect them from bad models are in vain since the absence of privacy leaves children exposed to negative influences outside of the family.
When provided, schooling is functional and offers a welcomed form of structure in the children's day, but it is still minimal and inadequate, in time, space and resources. As teachers are asylum seekers themselves, their performance in class cannot help but be affected by their anxieties and depression. At some centres, attendance records show a high drop out rate among older students who become more easily discouraged by the general situation.
Still, the full effects of the daily unhealthy conditions and
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