The message was stark.
The reports came through that an unaccompanied minor had been dispatched to Nauru.
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre reported the girl arrived on the island yesterday and is between 15 and 16 years old.
It is believed she is the first unaccompanied minor to be actually sent directly to Nauru under the new Federal Government’s offshore processing regime.
Late last night a photograph of her was published arriving on the island by plane.
The Immigration Minister, Scott Morrison’s department told the ABC it is Government policy that families who arrive illegally by boat are sent to Nauru.
There are no exemptions.
It also said the publication of images of asylum seekers can place relatives of those persons at risk in their home countries.
It is for this reason that Mamamia has decided NOT to publish the picture of this young girl.
She is though, not the first unaccompanied minor on Nauru.
Last Friday Immigration Minister Scott Morrison confirmed that there were three other unaccompanied minors already on the island.
How they arrived and their family circumstances were (as usual) not officially disclosed.
Newspaper reports said that the teenagers already on Nauru were two girls and a boy and were transferred by the current government in recent weeks.
One of the girls is a Somalian and was transferred to Nauru as an adult after giving a false age to immigration officials on Christmas Island. The other girl is believed to be an Iranian who also gave a false age.
Top Comments
The only good takeaway from these (more & more frequently) reported atrocities is that those of us in this country who have good hearts are becoming more outraged & more vocal which is always the predecessor of drastic change. I have said since phony tony won the election that it was going to cause the gap between the jerks & people with hearts to widen. The more comfortable the bigots become spewing their hatred the more people like myself will want to show love. If this country is being destroyed it's by the hateful among us-not refugees. And all the libs need to stop bleating about us being too broke to help. If we're living in a country that can afford to pay a giant douche canoe like Kyle Sandilands $2million to broadcast his stupidity we have plenty of cash to spare!! I'm going to look into how I can volunteer my services to help do my part to minimise the human rights disaster that this has become. It's something I have been interested in for a while, but I'd like to thank all the hateful bigots for giving me the kick in the butt I needed to do something ASAP. I'm sure your words have been an inspiration to many!
Another example of appalling, yet expected behaviour of an asylum seeker from the Abbott government. Politics aside, we have a duty of care to protect this young lady. As if she hasn't suffered enough, now she faces the risk of rape?! Disgraceful, I am embarassed to call myself Australian. Her crime? Not being fortunate enough to be born in a western country. It makes me sick to my stomach. Compassion people, compassion.