Human Rights Watch condemns Australia’s treatment of people seeking asylum

The Asylum Seekers Centre says the condemnation of Australia’s treatment of people seeking asylum in the latest Human Rights Watch World Report must be heeded to avoid further damage to some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

The report highlights Australia’s shirking of its international obligations by transferring people who arrived by sea to Nauru and references the brutal migration laws recently passed, which grant the government authority to pay third-party countries to accept non-citizens, seek jail time for those who resist deportation, and ban phones from detention centres.

Asylum Seekers Centre CEO Frances Rush OAM said:
“The latest report from Human Rights Watch lays bare Australia’s shameful record and attitude towards people seeking asylum.

“Setting a global example for inhumane and dehumanising policy and rhetoric is a stain on our international reputation and how we see ourselves as a nation.

“Labor went into the last election promising a ‘compassionate’ and ‘humane’ approach to refugees and people seeking asylum. They go into this election year having codified cruelty through a trio of brutal immigration bills and a cynical shift to harsh and degrading rhetoric.

“We must heed the warning and follow the guidance of Human Rights Watch before we do even more damage to the lives of the most vulnerable people in our society.”