NAURU GULAG SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN IMMEDIATELY AND ALL ASYLUM SEEKERS BROUGHT TO AUSTRALIA
Nauru guards accused of assaulting children
Exclusive: Charity worker's letter says guard hit girl so hard on head that she fell to the ground
conflict' between Save the Children staff and Wilson Security employees
on Nauru. Photograph: Department of Immigration/AAP
Security guards at the family camp on Nauru have been accused of
verbally and physically abusing child asylum seekers in a letter of
concern from staff at the centre.
The letter by a Save the
Children Australia worker to the charity’s Nauru contractors expresses
“extremely alarming” allegations of “mistreatment and inappropriate
behaviour” directed at asylum seekers by guards employed by Wilson
Security, also now contracted at the Manus Island facility.
The
letter, obtained by Guardian Australia, alleges that on 27 March a
Wilson guard was seen by a Save the Children staff member chasing an
asylum-seeker girl in the recreation area inside the centre and “hit her
on the back of the head”.
It continues: “His [the guard] force
and size was so big that the blow caused the child to fall to the
ground.” It says the guard proceeded to verbally abuse staff from Save
the Children, which provides support to child asylum seekers on Nauru.
Guardian
Australia understands this guard was a local employee and is being
investigated by the Nauruan police, having been stood down from duties
in the family camp following the allegations. It is unclear if he
continues to work for Wilson.
On the same day a Wilson security
guard was also observed by a Save the Children employee using “excessive
force” to remove a child from the playground in the centre. The letter
continues: “The father [of the child] also witnessed the incident and
yelled out to the guard, believing that it was not the first time this
guard has mistreated his child.”
The serious allegations raise
doubts about remarks made by the immigration minister, Scott Morrison,
on Tuesday. He described the detention centres on Nauru as “running
well”. Morrison has consistently maintained that Nauru is an appropriate
location to send families and has recently begun transferring
unaccompanied minors to detention centres on the island.
Further questions about the safety of the Nauru detention centre were raised on Tuesday after Guardian Australia revealed that an unexploded second world war bomb was found inside the family camp.
The
allegations in the letter of concern include that on 30 March, an
asylum-seeker child reported to a Save the Children staff member he had
been pushed by a guard at the recreational tent, which also serves as a
classroom. The letter states this was not witnessed by Save the Children
staff, but the guard was later seen “standing over the child in an
intimidating/ threatening manner”.
The letter continues: “The
guard reported to staff that the child had sworn at him and when the
Save the Children staff member raised the issue of his intimidating
behaviour, he waved his arms and walked away agitated.”
On 25
March, a child asylum seeker was reported as being “very unwell” and
needing “pressing medical attention” because he was “close to passing
out and was extremely weak”, but Save the Children staff reported the
approach of Wilson guards to assisting the child was “very casual and
resistant”. The family of the child were told they would have to wait
for half an hour before being moved to medical facilities.
One
contractor on Nauru told Guardian Australia there was “a lot of
conflict” between Save the Children staff and Wilson Security personnel.
The
letter continues: “The nature and extent of these incidents is
extremely alarming given the mistreatment and inappropriate behaviour
directed from Wilsons staff.” It adds that all the allegations – which
also include another on 26 March of a guard swearing at and mocking an
adult male asylum seeker – would be formally reported as incident
reports, which are submitted to the Department of Immigration.
A
spokesman for Save the Children said the organisation had a
“zero-tolerance approach to issues of physical or mental abuse of
children”, describing the safety and wellbeing of children on Nauru as
their “No 1 priority”.
“Save the Children immediately documents
and escalates any incidents of concern involving children. While we
remain concerned about the harmful impacts of prolonged detention on
children in Nauru, we are satisfied that for any such incidents raised,
appropriate steps are taken to prevent any additional harm,” the
spokesman said.
A spokeswoman for Wilson Security said the
company had started a “thorough and detailed internal investigation” as a
result of the allegations. She said it would be “highly inappropriate
to speculate” until due process had been followed.
“Wilson
Security staff all receive training in working with children and other
vulnerable groups. All staff undergo mandatory police and character
checks. Operations are closely supervised, and include oversight from
independent parties,” she said.
The company did not comment on whether the guard accused of assaulting a child was still employed by Wilson.
A
spokeswoman for Morrison said the allegations were being “taken
seriously” and that any instances of assault were referred to the Nauru
police for investigation.
Asked if the allegations had any effect
on the policy of offshore processing for asylum-seeker children, she
said “the government will continue to operate the full suite of border
policies”.
The minister had been advised Wilson Security had a
“positive working relationship” with all other service providers on
Nauru, the spokeswoman said.
“Transferees also have access to a
robust service provider complaints mechanism at the offshore processing
centres,” Morrison’s spokeswoman said.
Sarah Hanson-Young, the
Greens’ spokeswoman for immigration, said: “Reports that children are
being verbally and physically assaulted by local security staff at the
Nauru detention centre are extremely concerning and must be addressed
immediately.
“The government has a responsibility to provide care
and protection to these children and they have neglected that
responsibility today.
“The department must investigate these
incidents immediately. An internal investigation undertaken by the very
organisation allegedly responsible for the attacks is simply not good
enough.
“We know that indefinite detention has serious mental
health implications for children and now there is mounting evidence that
these children aren’t even safe at the hands of the very people
responsible for looking after them.
“The Abbott government cannot ensure the safety of these vulnerable children when they are locked up on a remote island prison.
“They must be brought to Australia immediately where they can live in a safe environment, free from threat.”
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