Australia’s official human rights watchdog warned yesterday that the policy of indefinitely holding the children of asylum-seekers in immigration detention camps violated international law.

The head of the Australian Human Rights Commission spoke out after an inquiry uncovered hundreds of reports of assaults involving child detainees.

Commission president Gillian Triggs called for the swift release of children from detention centres and demanded a royal commission into the mandatory detention of asylum-seekers.

“Australia is ashamed of this policy and we need a new road,” Ms Triggs said.

But Prime Minister Tony Abbott arrogantly dismissed the findings, dubbing them “blatantly partisan.”

Asylum-seekers are detained in camps on Christmas Island, Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

Nearly 120 children are being held on Nauru and are suffering from “extreme levels” of physical, emotional and psychological distress.

The commission’s inquiry found that the detentions had caused significant mental and physical illness and developmental delays.

Between January 2013 and March 2014, there were 233 assaults involving child detainees and 33 reported sexual assaults.

In that same period, 128 detained children tried to harm themselves, engaging in everything from self-cutting to swallowing insect repellent.

More than a third of detained children suffer from mental health disorders.

The commission wants the government to ban indefinite detention, close the “harsh and cramped” Christmas Island camp, get children off Nauru and appoint an independent guardian for minors.