In the media
Offshore detention
The family of Reza Berati, who was killed at the detention centre on Manus Island, agreed to a financial settlement with the Commonwealth and G4S Security.
Labour exploitation
The Federal Court ruled that a major recycling company in Victoria systematically exploited asylum seekers and migrants who worked for them.
Afghan women’s football team
Malala Yousafzai has joined calls for the Afghan Women’s football team, currently in exile in Australia, to be permitted to play international tournaments.
International
A million people have fled the conflict in Sudan. Flash flooding destroyed the make-shift houses of around 15,000 Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar. Al Jazeera published a detailed account of living conditions in the Cox’s Bazar camp. The UNHCR called for a regional response to address the number of Rohingya people who are dying at sea in their effort to seek safe haven. Conditions in a Libyan migrant centre were highlighted when footage of an emaciated woman, who lay dead, was shared to media outlets. In the UK, the barge that was to accommodate asylum seekers was evacuated within days of opening due to a bacteria outbreak. The government there has been criticised for sending a number of unaccompanied children to adult prisons. It stated that it intends to leave the European Court of Human Rights if their Rwanda policy is blocked and has negotiated a deal with Turkey on supporting their police to intercept people smuggling operations.
In policy
The government announced an increase in the annual humanitarian in-take. The ALP’s latest party platform includes a commitment to appoint a special envoy for refugees, to initiate an inquiry into immigration detention and to permit asylum seekers to study while their claims are processed. Former NSW Premier and current RCOA board member, Nick Greiner, called for an end to the visa limbo experienced by asylum seekers who were subjected to offshore detention. At a gathering in Shepparton, Iranian asylum seekers shared their frustration at remaining in visa limbo ten years after having arrived in Australia.
In research
The Refugee Council of Australia published an analysis of Australia’s claims of a generous refugee program. The Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness opened applications for its annual Statelessness Intensive course. Human Rights Watch published a report on the murder, by Saudi border guards, of hundreds of Ethiopians who attempted to cross the Saudi-Yemen border.
New releases
The Decline and Fall of Republican Afghanistan, a book by Ahmad Shuja and William Malley, published by Hurst Publishers.