An alarming aspect of the pictures drawn by children detained on Christmas Island, and revealed by the Human Rights Commission's national investigation into their plight, is what is blanked out – the children’s boat IDs. In every detention facility I have visited, children sign their artworks with this ID; they respond to this ID; they know each other’s ID numbers. The institutionalisation of these children is all-pervasive and will take a very long time to recover from if they are ever released into society.

The sadness and pleas in these drawings are fairly evident, sometimes literal. ‘I need your help. ples help me’ says the speech bubble above the girl with curly hair. A child is crying out for help, pleading to strangers. Parents know they cannot help their own children. These drawings show the complete breakdown of the family unit.

Inside detention, parents are stripped of the right to make nearly every basic decision about their child: what will he or she eat, shall I set a nice family table for dinner, what type of education will my child receive, what will he or she wear? Cultural norms cannot play out, and adults break without a purpose. Children with broken parents suffer - they create drawings calling out to strangers.

Most of the drawings feature bars and locks. Photograph: Human Rights Commission

Nearly every drawing references bars…….

…..The sun shines but it cries.

Sophie Peer, The Guardian.