Australia evacuates last refugee from Nauru, offshore detention in Papua New Guinea remains
GHRTV
30-06-2023
Alicia Mankel
Southeast Asia and Pacific and Human Rights Researchers
Global Human Rights Defence
Australia has completed the evacuation of the last remaining refugee from its offshore migration processing facility on Nauru Island in the Pacific, marking the end of its controversial 11-year detention policy there (Tooby, 2023). However, Australia still maintains its commitment to outsourcing asylum processes to Papua New Guinea, where at least 14 refugees have died, either from suicide or suspected suicide, as a direct result of the abusive conditions in respective detention facilities (Tooby, 2023). These conditions include threats, harassment, violence, inhumane treatment, and medical neglect (Tooby, 2023). While the final evacuation of refugees from Nauru is a crucial step towards abolishing Australia's “ill-conceived offshore clearance system” (Tooby, 2023), the government still faces significant challenges ahead. The immediate priority should be to transfer the remaining asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea to Australia (Tooby, 2023). Nonetheless, even after arriving in Australia, evacuated refugees continue to experience uncertainty due to their non-permanent visas and limited governmental support (Tooby, 2023).
Sources and further reading:
Tooby, N. (2023, June 28). Australia Evacuates Last Refugee on Nauru. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 30 June 2023, from https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/06/29/australia-evacuates-last-refugee-nauru
