A spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) [official website] reiterated previous calls [press release] to Australia Friday to end offshore detention on Nauru. The press release notes various reports of violence, sexual assault, degrading treatment, and self-harm, revealed through more than 1,000 incident reports. The OHCHR also discussed signs of severe mental health issues which they believe stem from the poor treatment and prolonged detention of the migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees in Nauru. Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani expressed disappointment that, despite numerous visits from and reports by OHCHR officers, the governments of Nauru and Australia have yet to address these serious issues. The press release urged both governments to properly investigate the allegations and ensure those responsible are held accountable. OHCHR ended by asking that the countries “expeditiously end the immigration detention of children,” and institute human rights-compliant alternatives, also asking Nauru to establish a national mechanism to prevent this sort of torture.

Australian refugees and their treatment have been a topic of discussion among international human rights organizations as of late. Last week Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued reports [JURIST report] stating Australia is ignoring inhumane treatment for detainees in Nauru. In May the Papua New Guinea officials stated Australian refugees are not being detained [JURIST report], as they are given access to mainland Australia, although refugee advocates believe that the refugees are being faced with arbitrary restrictions to the mainland. The statement by officials followed a ruling by the Papua New Guinea Supreme Court that the Australian off-shore detention facility was illegal, in direct opposition to a ruling [JURIST reports] by the Australian Supreme Court earlier this year that the off-shore detention was legal. In February the UN Human Rights Committee issued a report [JURIST report] in which it stated Australia had violated the rights of Guantanamo detainee David Hicks, continuing to detain him after his transfer from the United States.