Australia urged not to send refugees to Nauru, Manus camps
A man addresses the crowd at a rally protesting the Australian government's treatment of asylum-seekers in Sydney, July 7, 2014. © AFP
A coalition of international organizations has urged the Australian government to stop transferring asylum seekers to the notorious detention centers on Nauru and Manus islands.
In a statement issued on Friday, over 100 bodies, including the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Amnesty International, Oxfam and World Vision lashed out at Australia’s hostile policy towards the asylum seekers, saying the offshore detention centers for refugees lack the minimum international standards.
“Many of those detained on Manus Island and Nauru are now suffering significant mental distress, including post-traumatic stress disorder,” read the statement, adding, “We call for an immediate moratorium on transfers to offshore detention centers, at least until … the Australian-funded detention centers comply with minimum international standards for the treatment of the people detained there.”
The organizations warned of the detrimental consequences of Canberra’s migration policies, saying living in Nauru and Manus detention centers will leave an indelible negative impression on the psyche of the refugees, especially children.
“Returning those people, including children, to the place of their suffering and even to the place where they may have experienced sexual abuse, amounts to cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment,” the statement went on to say.
The statement also added that the asylum seekers are subject to different kinds of stressors in the refugee camps as “they are held incommunicado, without phone access to lawyers, family or friends, for hours and have their personal belongings packed by detention center officers.”
Despite all the criticism leveled at Canberra, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott defended his country’s controversial migration policies and called on the European Union member states to adopt similar decisions with regard to asylum seekers.
Australia uses detention facilities in Papua New Guinea and the tiny islands of Nauru and Manus to hold up the refugees who attempt to reach the country illegally.
FNR/NN/HMV