Nauru: Immigrant Rights and Detention Centers
By Raiaab Ajmal and Ainsley Gill
IN DEFENSE OF THE AUSSI GOVERNMENT
Australia utilizes a unique system to manage asylum seekers. The country redirects asylum seekers to offshore processing centers on the nearby sovereign island of Nauru. Nauru’s government has allowed Australia to use some of its land for these camps for asylum seekers and refugees since 2001. Australia affirms that this policy is in place in order to deter individuals from attempting to seek sanctuary in Australia by boat. Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard expressed his strong support for this policy, stating that “[The Australian government] will decide who comes to this country and the manner in which they come,” an ideology which was central to Howard’s successful re-election campaign.The Australian government defends this practice, reasoning that the asylum seekers and refugees would be unable to successfully resettle in Australia, thus staying in these special processing centers instead until the center finds another suitable destination for them. The BBC reports that proponents of this practice believe the policy was effective in achieving its original purpose, citing the fact that no boats of illegal asylum seekers landed on Australian shores from 2014 to the fall of 2018.
The processing centers have drawn significant attention from the United Nations and various human rights groups throughout their existence, as some officials from these organizations have questioned the quality of conditions on Nauru. However, the Australian government remains strongly committed to protecting the human rights of the refugees and asylum seekers on the island. After coming under some scrutiny, especially for the condition of the children on Nauru, the Australian government affirmed its dedication to the well-being of these children. Australian officials stated that the government “takes seriously its role in supporting the Government of Nauru to ensure that children are protected from abuse, neglect and exploitation” and explained that “a range of care, welfare, and support arrangements are in place to provide for the needs of children and young people.” Additionally, the government continues to provide access to high-quality medical care in Australia, Taiwan, or Papua New Guinea when appropriate treatment cannot be found in Nauru, as in the case of a more significant or life threatening health condition.
Australia’s actions on Nauru received further attention when international criminal court prosecutor Andrew Wilkie wrote to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2014 and alleged that Australia had breached international law by “engaging in imprisonment, deportation and the forcible transfer of a population,” according to The Guardian. However, the International Criminal Court’s office of the prosecutor chose not to act, explaining that they had determined that “Cases must be grave enough to justify action by the court … it does not appear that the conditions of detention or treatment were of a severity to be appropriately qualified as the crime against humanity of torture.” The entire procedure was determined to be an “attention-seeking stunt” by Scott Morrison, the then Australian immigration minister and later prime minister. Morrison further stating on the matter that “Australia is a sovereign country that implements our policies consistent with our domestic laws and our international obligations.”
More recently, Australia scaled back its actions and involvement on Nauru. According to the Australian government, all asylum seekers and refugees remaining on Nauru were moved out of the processing center by March of 2019. Some of them later resettled in the US, due to an international deal between Prime Minister Morrision and then President Obama. According to CNN, a spokeswoman for the Australian government seemed to confirm their history on the island stating that “regional processing arrangements had kept Australia’s borders secure.” Morrison publicly expressed that with the removal of the children from Nauru, Australia had “got the balance right,” explaining that “Australia has one of the most generous humanitarian immigration programs in the world, but we can only do it by maintaining strong borders and insisting people come the right way."
Australia utilizes a unique system to manage asylum seekers. The country redirects asylum seekers to offshore processing centers on the nearby sovereign island of Nauru. Nauru’s government has allowed Australia to use some of its land for these camps for asylum seekers and refugees since 2001. Australia affirms that this policy is in place in order to deter individuals from attempting to seek sanctuary in Australia by boat. Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard expressed his strong support for this policy, stating that “[The Australian government] will decide who comes to this country and the manner in which they come,” an ideology which was central to Howard’s successful re-election campaign.The Australian government defends this practice, reasoning that the asylum seekers and refugees would be unable to successfully resettle in Australia, thus staying in these special processing centers instead until the center finds another suitable destination for them. The BBC reports that proponents of this practice believe the policy was effective in achieving its original purpose, citing the fact that no boats of illegal asylum seekers landed on Australian shores from 2014 to the fall of 2018.
The processing centers have drawn significant attention from the United Nations and various human rights groups throughout their existence, as some officials from these organizations have questioned the quality of conditions on Nauru. However, the Australian government remains strongly committed to protecting the human rights of the refugees and asylum seekers on the island. After coming under some scrutiny, especially for the condition of the children on Nauru, the Australian government affirmed its dedication to the well-being of these children. Australian officials stated that the government “takes seriously its role in supporting the Government of Nauru to ensure that children are protected from abuse, neglect and exploitation” and explained that “a range of care, welfare, and support arrangements are in place to provide for the needs of children and young people.” Additionally, the government continues to provide access to high-quality medical care in Australia, Taiwan, or Papua New Guinea when appropriate treatment cannot be found in Nauru, as in the case of a more significant or life threatening health condition.
Australia’s actions on Nauru received further attention when international criminal court prosecutor Andrew Wilkie wrote to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2014 and alleged that Australia had breached international law by “engaging in imprisonment, deportation and the forcible transfer of a population,” according to The Guardian. However, the International Criminal Court’s office of the prosecutor chose not to act, explaining that they had determined that “Cases must be grave enough to justify action by the court … it does not appear that the conditions of detention or treatment were of a severity to be appropriately qualified as the crime against humanity of torture.” The entire procedure was determined to be an “attention-seeking stunt” by Scott Morrison, the then Australian immigration minister and later prime minister. Morrison further stating on the matter that “Australia is a sovereign country that implements our policies consistent with our domestic laws and our international obligations.”
More recently, Australia scaled back its actions and involvement on Nauru. According to the Australian government, all asylum seekers and refugees remaining on Nauru were moved out of the processing center by March of 2019. Some of them later resettled in the US, due to an international deal between Prime Minister Morrision and then President Obama. According to CNN, a spokeswoman for the Australian government seemed to confirm their history on the island stating that “regional processing arrangements had kept Australia’s borders secure.” Morrison publicly expressed that with the removal of the children from Nauru, Australia had “got the balance right,” explaining that “Australia has one of the most generous humanitarian immigration programs in the world, but we can only do it by maintaining strong borders and insisting people come the right way."
DETENTION CENTERS & MIGRANT RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
Expanding over a total area of 21 square kilometres, Nauru is a small South Pacific island country in Micronesia, northeast of Australia. The establishment of a seaport has not been possible due to the island’s enclosure by a coral reef. However, Australia constructed artificial channels to allow small boats to enter the island. With an economy heavily dependent on Australia, international officials accuse Australia of utilizing Nauru as a “client state.” Indeed, Australia supplies aid and buys services from Nauru’s government and companies. In July 2013, the Australian government introduced Operation Sovereign Borders, which put the military in control of asylum operations. This action, in turn, led to an offshore processing scheme mandating the relocation of asylum seekers (including children) arriving by boat, and without a valid visa, to regional processing centers (RPCs) to assess their foreign security claims.
One of the two Regional Processing Centres is located in Nauru. What arose as a panicked political response to the appearance of one boat, the MV Tampa, on the northern coastline of Australia, has evolved into a permanent policy, with the aid of both major political parties in the region. Several immigrants have made dangerous journeys through the sea in an attempt to seek refuge in Australia, with numerous passing away rendering the risky trip. However, due to the firm policy, multiple immigrants have been “detained” at the RPCs in Nauru. Needless to say, the conditions which these immigrants experience in the secluded and small island are almost unbearable.
Built on a gravel construction site, “Offshore Processing Center 3” is what several families and children have been forced to accept as their home for the past few years. The United Nations High Commissioner described the detention facility tents as “big vinyl marquees divided by vinyl partitions with individual family areas.” The tents had fans with wooden floors and walls, but no air conditioning facilities. Each tent houses 12-15 families and several families have felt that their privacy has been invaded on countless occasions. Inside these tents was bare minimum furniture, with no chairs or tables.
In addition to this living situation, the island’s intense weather conditions affect the health of immigrants. The average temperature on Nauru is around 31 degrees centigrade, however, inside the detention centre tents, temperatures frequently reach 45-50 degrees. This harsh heat has proved to be a severe issue for the immigrants. With a tropical climate and varying figures of precipitation levels, the surroundings are dry and barren, and when it does rain, the water seeps in through the roofs of these tents, often flooding them and ruining the immigrants’ few belongings.
Although the detention centres were a project worth approximately 3 billion dollars, the immigrants still do not have access to basic necessities. The immigrants are allowed to shower for only 30 seconds frequently, and the Regional Processing Centre has been said to have run out of soap. It is not uncommon for the water supply to completely run out, including the water used for barely functioning toilets. These toilets are kept in extremely unhygienic conditions, with many not working at all.
Workers from Save the Children Australia (SCA) visited the site and their reports have suggested that the provision of education for the immigrant children has been ‘largely inadequate due to the lack of appropriate facilities,’ ‘high noise levels, not enough chairs ... lack of air conditioning and temperatures that were 45 to 50 degrees Celsius.’ The detention centres are also lacking the “books, lesson plans, writing implements, pape”’ to provide sufficient education to the children.
A retired trauma counsellor for SCA stated that the ‘center is set up as a prison.’ Although the Australian government has claimed that children no longer live in these detention camps, several families and children have been subjected to mental trauma and physical exhaustion, and humanitarians around the world urge the government to right its wrongs and not hide anything from the rest of the world. If families are still present at these sites, the government must work tirelessly to bring them some sort of solace.
Expanding over a total area of 21 square kilometres, Nauru is a small South Pacific island country in Micronesia, northeast of Australia. The establishment of a seaport has not been possible due to the island’s enclosure by a coral reef. However, Australia constructed artificial channels to allow small boats to enter the island. With an economy heavily dependent on Australia, international officials accuse Australia of utilizing Nauru as a “client state.” Indeed, Australia supplies aid and buys services from Nauru’s government and companies. In July 2013, the Australian government introduced Operation Sovereign Borders, which put the military in control of asylum operations. This action, in turn, led to an offshore processing scheme mandating the relocation of asylum seekers (including children) arriving by boat, and without a valid visa, to regional processing centers (RPCs) to assess their foreign security claims.
One of the two Regional Processing Centres is located in Nauru. What arose as a panicked political response to the appearance of one boat, the MV Tampa, on the northern coastline of Australia, has evolved into a permanent policy, with the aid of both major political parties in the region. Several immigrants have made dangerous journeys through the sea in an attempt to seek refuge in Australia, with numerous passing away rendering the risky trip. However, due to the firm policy, multiple immigrants have been “detained” at the RPCs in Nauru. Needless to say, the conditions which these immigrants experience in the secluded and small island are almost unbearable.
Built on a gravel construction site, “Offshore Processing Center 3” is what several families and children have been forced to accept as their home for the past few years. The United Nations High Commissioner described the detention facility tents as “big vinyl marquees divided by vinyl partitions with individual family areas.” The tents had fans with wooden floors and walls, but no air conditioning facilities. Each tent houses 12-15 families and several families have felt that their privacy has been invaded on countless occasions. Inside these tents was bare minimum furniture, with no chairs or tables.
In addition to this living situation, the island’s intense weather conditions affect the health of immigrants. The average temperature on Nauru is around 31 degrees centigrade, however, inside the detention centre tents, temperatures frequently reach 45-50 degrees. This harsh heat has proved to be a severe issue for the immigrants. With a tropical climate and varying figures of precipitation levels, the surroundings are dry and barren, and when it does rain, the water seeps in through the roofs of these tents, often flooding them and ruining the immigrants’ few belongings.
Although the detention centres were a project worth approximately 3 billion dollars, the immigrants still do not have access to basic necessities. The immigrants are allowed to shower for only 30 seconds frequently, and the Regional Processing Centre has been said to have run out of soap. It is not uncommon for the water supply to completely run out, including the water used for barely functioning toilets. These toilets are kept in extremely unhygienic conditions, with many not working at all.
Workers from Save the Children Australia (SCA) visited the site and their reports have suggested that the provision of education for the immigrant children has been ‘largely inadequate due to the lack of appropriate facilities,’ ‘high noise levels, not enough chairs ... lack of air conditioning and temperatures that were 45 to 50 degrees Celsius.’ The detention centres are also lacking the “books, lesson plans, writing implements, pape”’ to provide sufficient education to the children.
A retired trauma counsellor for SCA stated that the ‘center is set up as a prison.’ Although the Australian government has claimed that children no longer live in these detention camps, several families and children have been subjected to mental trauma and physical exhaustion, and humanitarians around the world urge the government to right its wrongs and not hide anything from the rest of the world. If families are still present at these sites, the government must work tirelessly to bring them some sort of solace.