In the Australian context, Rivas (2023) drawing on data from 629 Commonwealth Ombudsman’s reports between June 2013 and June 2017 found that women in immigration detention in Australia experience significant structural and interpersonal violence.15 For example, 60 of the 252 women (or 23.8%) covered in the reports had experienced at least one type of violence during their detention by family, other people in detention, detention staff or others.16 Thirty of the 252 women (or 11.9%) experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) whilst detained.17 These forms of abuse occurred more frequently in closed immigration detention rather than community detention settings (with the exception of IPV). Rivas concluded that structural violence in the form of immigration detention creates a fertile ground for interpersonal violence (including gendered violence).18 Rivas (2022) also found that women held in immigration detention experience a range of physical health issues, including physical injuries, gastric issues, gynaecological issues, diabetes, and acute pain. Of the 252 women on which this research was based, 184 (or 73%) had at least one type of physical health issue reported by a professional during their detention.19 Rivas and Bull (2018), exploring the experiences of women in long term immigration detention in Australia, found that in addition to the length and conditions of detention, women reported that their mental health was affected by uncertainty and anxiety regarding their immigration case and the lack of control they had over their lives. This confirms the compounding effect of multiple environmental factors upon women’s mental health.20 Young and Gordon (2016) assessed the results from the Kessler-10 (K10) test, a selfreported psychological distress measure, from a sample of 1,384 people detained in onshore immigration detention, between February and June 2014. They, found that the overall mean K10 score was 16.64 with females scoring significantly higher than males.21 Women’s experiences in immigration detention differ substantially from men’s, not only because they are minorities in an overwhelmingly male system but also because they have particular experiences and needs that are often unrecognised and unmet. Consequently, their vulnerability is further compounded by the harsh experience of confinement, its associated uncertainty, the risk of deportation and ‘can also evolve and develop over time, as in cases of extended detention.’22 This thematic inspection Report aims to bring some visibility to their experiences and needs, within the current immigration detention context. The Report does not speak on behalf of women in detention but includes where possible, their own words, in order to highlight their personal experiences and perspectives and support the Commission’s findings and recommendations. The Report contains an overview of the key observations arising from the Commission’s inspection of the facilities where women are currently held within the onshore detention network. In April and May 2024, the Commission visited the BRP and parts of the MIDC, the VIDC, and the PIDC. The Report reflects conditions for women as they were at the time of the inspection. The Commission acknowledges the contributions made by: Ms Debbie Kilroy OAM, Chief Executive Officer of Sisters Inside: Dr Marianne van Galen-Dickie, Deportation Advocate with Sisters Inside: and Professor Penny Abbott, General Practitioner and the Chair of General Practice at Western Sydney University. Sisters Inside was contracted to provide a gendered and lived experience of incarceration perspective to the inspection process and Professor Penny Abbott was contracted as an independent custodial health consultant. Ms Kilroy OAM, Dr van Galen-Dickie and Professor Abbott participated in the inspection visits and interviews alongside Commission staff and advised the Commission on issues relating to security management and training, gendered perspectives on detention practices and health care and other medical issues concerning women in immigration detention. The Commission also acknowledges the civil society organisations that provided submissions prior to the inspection, and all of the individual staff at the Commission who assisted with these inspections. The Commission also acknowledges the assistance provided by the Department of Home Affairs (Department), and Australian Border Force (ABF) in facilitating the Commission’s inspection. The Commission team was assisted during the inspection by staff from the Department, ABF and detention service providers, and the Commission is grateful for the assistance that was provided. In accordance with the usual practice, the Commission provided a copy of this Report to the Department on 29 August 2024 to provide an opportunity for response to the Commission’s findings and recommendations prior to publication. The response from the Department was received on 29 October 2024 and has been published alongside this Report. 10 Not just an afterthoughtThe experience of women in immigration detention