Australian asylum seekers are being shipped out of sight and out of mind to the remote island of Nauru. Australian policy states that anyone entering the country by boat without a valid visa is not allowed to ever settle permanently in Australia. Those desperate enough to attempt taking a boat to Australia are shipped to Nauru for "processing."
The offshore detention center has been widely criticised for brutal conditions. Two hundred and sixty seven of the asylum seekers being held at Nauru, including thirty seven babies who were born in Australia and two children who were allegedly sexually assaulted, were recently sent to the mainland for medical treatment. The high court has ruled that it is legal to send them back to Nauru, despite the protests of tens of thousands of Australian citizens, faith leaders, and even some politicians.
This is no way to treat human beings, especially young children. Sending these children and their families back to Nauru will put them at further risk of illness, injury, and violence.
The situation is so dire that doctors at one hospital are refusing to release a one-year-old girl who they treated for serious burns to return to the detention camp.
Please join me in asking the Parliament of Australia not to send children or families seeking asylum back to Nauru.
To Whom it May Concern:
Your immigration policy has never been more uncompassionate. The many people who suffered illness and violence on Nauru should not be sent back there to face more violence. These people threw themselves on the mercy of Australia, despite a hostile immigration policy, desperately hoping for a better life. They have been rewarded with what amounts to torture. Please allow the settlement, in mainland Australia, of the 237 Nauru refugees.
