Australian Medical Association: Immediately Remove Refugee Children from Nauru

The Australian Medical Association has warned about the situation of children in the refugee camp in Nauru, stating that the fact that none of them have lost their lives yet is a "miracle." In recent days, international criticism of the conditions of refugees in Nauru and Papua, thousands of kilometers away from Australian soil, has intensified, and now the most significant medical body in Australia has joined in. According to the Australian Associated Press (AAP), Dr. Paul Bewart, spokesperson for the Australian Medical Association, stated on October 15 that almost all children held in the refugee camp in Nauru have suffered psychological damage. Dr. Bewart told reporters, "This is the only situation I have witnessed where the government has deliberately pursued a policy that has added to the suffering of children." The spokesperson for the Australian Medical Association said many children in the Nauru camp are already harmed, "but we do not want these harms to take on a permanent and irreversible form." He described assistance to children as "urgent" and added, "The fact that none of them have lost their lives so far is miraculous." Refugees who never reached Australia The Medical Association had previously attempted to convince the government to change its policies regarding refugees in Nauru. However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated last month in response to these efforts, "I will not take any action that jeopardizes Australia's border protection policies." This statement means that the Australian government is unwilling to change its policies regarding the acceptance of any boat refugees on its soil and continues to keep them outside its borders. Saba Vasefi, a journalist residing in Australia and an activist in the field of women and refugee children in Nauru, stated in an interview with Radio Farda that "refugee children in Nauru cannot go to school due to insecurity and lack of hygiene, and many of them have been sexually abused at school." On Monday, five percent of all doctors in Australia signed a letter regarding the situation of refugees, which was sent to the Prime Minister of that country. These doctors are calling for the immediate transfer of about 80 children who are being held in Nauru. Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) also emphasized the "severe" and dangerous psychological state of refugees, especially children in the Nauru detention center, and called on the Australian government to remove them from this camp. The day after, the UN Refugee Agency also urged the Australian government to evacuate and close the refugee camp in the remote islands without delay. According to statistics from the Australian Refugee Council, the total number of refugees in both Nauru and Papua is estimated to be 1,655 since last summer. It is reported that a total of 3,127 people were sent to these two countries under agreements between Australia, Nauru, and Papua, many of whom were Iranian; of these, at least 855 voluntarily left the islands, with the majority returning to their homeland.