Thanks to Pamela Curr of the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre for this report:
Nauru: 16 May 2015
It is now clear that a 23 year old girl suffered a vicious assault on Saturday afternoon/evening. She was out on day release from the Camp, visiting 3 refugee families in a house for lunch.
She left the house at around 4pm to return to the camp.
When she had not returned to the camp, security guards took her brother with them and looked for her in the community, asking other refugees at approximately 5.30pm where she was or if she had been seen.
Sometime later refugees saw the girl being pushed into a police van by local police. When they approached they were told to go away that nothing was wrong. They asked why she was wrapped in a blanket and were told that her clothes were wet. One refugee who knew the girl well spoke to her. He said that she did not recognise him and that she was distressed and incoherent.
Refugees who went to the police station to ask after the girl were sent away.
Some time later the girl was taken back to OPC1 to the Medical area and her mother was allowed contact. Others report that she is covered in bruises. It is now confirmed that she was assaulted.
At 2am the occupants of the house near to where the girl was found were questioned by police who were looking in the bushes for the girls clothing and personal effects. This confirmed earlier information that the girl was found without clothes and distressed.
This report came through to us in spite of the fact that Journalists are not allowed on Nauru (the cost of a visa application is $8000. It is non-refundable if the visa is refused) and now the Nauruan government has blocked Facebook and killed internet access. It is extraordinary that the response to finding a girl injured and distressed was to take her to the police station- not the hospital, not medical care but take her the local police lockup.
This young woman shouldbe brought to Australia for care and support with her family. How many more women and children must be raped and abused on Nauru before our politicians acknowledge the unmitigated disaster this offshore camp has become?
My comment: People looking for protection are treated like criminals on Nauru (and on Manus Island), thanks to Australia’s brutal attitude. We will be held to acount for this one day. It is time to stand up and be heard: tell your Federal MP that this sort of mistreatment is totally unacceptable.
This is Australia’s logic: to prevent people drowning in their attempt to escape persecution, we punish them if they do not drown.
Julian you have gone so far to the left you are going to fall off the planet.Do you really believe all the crap you write.10 year old girls hanging their self.they couldnt do it.If you believe that your thick as a brick.
Interesting comment. The political spectrum has moved a long way to the right, so I am stuck where I always was. And yes: that 10-year od girl tried to hang herself, using a bedsheet. I saw a lot of her and her family over the next 18 months. If you choose to close your eyes to the effects of what we are doing, you can share part of the moral blame for where this country is going.
Thank you for your work Julian.
The secrecy, propaganda and power lust of this government seems to be a clear threat to our democracy. And its willingness to cover up and enable these crimes is horrifying because we all share responsibility for them.