Australian Medical Association: Remove asylum seeker children from Nauru now
The Australian Medical Association has warned about the situation of children in the refugee camp on Nauru, saying it is a "miracle" that none of them have yet died.
In recent days, criticism from international organizations regarding the situation of refugees on the islands of Nauru and Papua, thousands of kilometers away from Australian territory, has increased once again, and now Australia's most important medical organization has joined them again.
According to the Associated Press of Australia, "AAP", Dr. Paul Bowert, a spokesman for the Australian Medical Association, said on October 13 that almost all children held in the refugee camp on Nauru have suffered psychological trauma.
"This is the only situation I have seen where the government has deliberately pursued a policy that has added to the suffering of children," Dr. Bavert told reporters.
A spokesperson for the Australian Medical Association says many children in the Nauru camp are already suffering trauma, "but we don't want that trauma to become permanent and irreversible."
He called helping the children an "emergency" and added, "It's a miracle that none of them have lost their lives so far."
The medical association has previously tried to persuade the government to change its policy towards asylum seekers on Nauru. But Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison responded to these efforts last month by saying, “I will not take any action that would jeopardise Australia’s border protection policy.” The statement meant that the Australian government was unwilling to change its policy of not accepting any of the boat people and would continue to keep them outside its borders.
On Monday, five percent of all Australian doctors signed a letter to the prime minister on the refugee situation, calling for the immediate transfer of about 80 children held on Nauru.
On Thursday, October 9, Doctors Without Borders called on the Australian government to evacuate the refugees, especially children, from the Nauru detention center, stressing the "grave" and dangerous mental state. A day later, the UN Refugee Agency called on the Australian government to evacuate and close the country's refugee camp on islands far from Australia without delay.
According to statistics from the Australian Refugee Council since last summer, the total number of refugees in both Nauru and Papua is estimated at 1,655. A total of 3,127 people were reportedly sent to the two countries under the Australia-Nauru and Papua agreements, many of whom were Iranians; of these, at least 855 have left the islands “voluntarily,” with the majority returning to their home countries.
Source: Radio Farda
