Criticism over Australia’s immigration detention policies have continued to mount, particularly in light of reports of self-harming by children detained at detention centres in Darwin.
Rights groups and legal experts have called upon Australia to fulfil its international legal obligations and protect the rights of close to 2,000 children now held in immigration detention throughout the country.
There remains significant concern over the thousands of Rohingya embarking on perilous boat journeys from Rakhine State or Bangladesh’s refugee camps and makeshift sites southwards towards Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Reports of Rohingya men, women and children dying at sea, being pushed back out to sea or detained in overcrowded facilities have prompted UNHCR to make a call for urgent action.