Both local and international studies confirm that prolonged immigration detention profoundly and negatively impacts the physical and mental health of asylum seekers, and detrimentally affects the social-emotional well-being and development of children and adolescents. Under Australian law, there is no time limit that a person can be held in immigration detention. Therefore, asylum seekers cannot know how long they will remain in detention while awaiting processing. This uncertainty, powerlessness and monotony causes tremendous stress for detainees, and results in serious mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide.