A group of Catholic and Christian church leaders will release a report on Wednesday calling for the government and the United Nations to protect the welfare of unaccompanied children who seek asylum in Australia.
The Protecting the Lonely Children report "paints a harrowing picture of neglect and abuse", the group says.
The Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce wants Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to renounce his position as guardian of all unaccompanied minors.
"The minister is conflicted in that he's both jailer and carer and that's a conflicted role," report author Reverend Peter Catt told ABC radio on Wednesday.
The taskforce reportedly describes the government's treatment of asylum seeker children as "state-sanctioned child abuse".
A spokeswoman for Mr Morrison said abuse allegations were an insult not just to the government but to all who cared for asylum seeker children.
An overwhelming majority of unaccompanied minors live in the community and receive care and access to education.
"Claims of state-sanctioned child abuse are shocking and offensive, and the minister rejects these categorically," the spokeswoman said in a statement on Wednesday.
"The minister takes guardianship responsibilities seriously."
It was unfair the minister had not been given an opportunity to view the report before its release, she said.
