Australia to send asylum baby to Nauru
The case of one-year-old Asha prompted a stand-off with doctors and a week of rallies
outside the Lady Cilento Children's Hospital
Australia said Monday an asylum-seeker baby brought from a Pacific detention camp for
hospital treatment is expected to be returned to the camp as a deterrent to people-
smugglers, despite protests from doctors and others.
Under Canberra's tough immigration policy, asylum-seekers attempting to arrive in
Australia by boat are sent to camps in Papua New Guinea and Nauru, where they are held
while their refugee applications are processed.
They are blocked from resettlement in Australia even if found to be refugees.
The case of one-year-old Asha, the daughter of Nepalese asylum-seekers who was
brought to Brisbane suffering burns last month, prompted a stand-off with doctors and a
week of rallies outside the Lady Cilento Children's Hospital.
Medical staffhad refused to release her until a suitable home environment had been
identified.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said she had now been moved to community
detention, where asylum-seekers waiting for their refugee applications to be processed
live within the community. They are usually allowed to move around freely.
"She's in community detention and obviously support will be provided to the family,'
Dutton told the Nine Network.
But he added that the government would not back down on its policy of returning her to
offshore detention once medical and legal issues had been settled.
Refugee advocates claimed she was secretly moved from the hospital at 4am to an
undisclosed location and the family's lawyer Daniel Webb, from the Human Rights Law
Centre, said they were initially unable to speak to the family.
"It's been an emotional few days for the family. They are relieved and thankful that they
aren't languishing on Nauru or locked up in a detention centre, Webb said in a
statement.
"It's not OK that the government has prevented us from speaking with our client for the
last three days," he said after speaking to the child 's mother by telephone late Monday.
"It's a matter Of basic fairness and due process that vulnerable people are able to speak
with their lawyers."
Churches, state governments and even New Zealand have offered sanctuary to Asha and
the 266 other asylum-seekers also in Australia for medical care.
But Dutton said this would only encourage people-smugglers.
"I've been very clear, the government's been very clear from day one, that we have a
responsibility not only to this baby, but to the babies who drowned at sea before and also
potentially to babies that will drown again if the people-smugglers got back into
business," he said.
"so there is a much bigger issue at play here and, as I say, as a country we should be
proud because we bring in record numbers of refugees through the UN and through the
Special Humanitarian Programme. "But we are not going to allow a message to get out that people can come to Nauru, come
to Australia for medical assistance and then that will be their ticket out into Australian
society. That is not going to happen."
Canberra has long defended its hardline policy, which also includes turning boats back,
saying it has prevented deaths at sea and secured its borders.
Under the previous Labor government, at least 1,200 people died trying to reach
Australia by boat between 2008 and 2013.
"Australia to Send
Asylum Baby to Nauru." Yahoo News. AFP News, 22 Feb. 2016.
Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
The Australian Government is put in a very difficult position at this point. They have protesting citizens, refugee advocates and at the same time have to defend why they are sending Asha away. From an individual humanitarian stand point most anyone would agree to keep Asha, however the leniency in this one case may lead to detrimental consequences in the future. As seen in the Mediterranean area allowing refugees to remain in the new area they come to inhabit has huge consequences. Millions die each year trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea and millions are smuggled and mishandled across these rough seas. As the author quotes the government is taking seemingly harsh steps to ensure the further safety of millions, in contrast to the millions suffering around the Mediterranean one can understand how one individual case can affect many to come and how the decision made for this one case is extremely important. Although the action the Australian government is taking may seem harsh to the vast population and in fact the greater world one can understand their long term perspective, as well as the pressure they will once again stand under if refugees start to journey to Australia by the millions and the human trafficking market begins to grow again. Assuming the individuals are not suffering from physical or mental ailments and hindrances that could only be treated in Australia the government has decided to limit the number of individuals seeking asylum in their country. The government is in fact out weighing the personal comfort and life of one individual to the rest of the individuals to follow and allowing the majority to rule. The author later states that at least 1,200 people have died trying to cross to Australia between 2008 and 2013 giving contextual reference for why this is already such a big issue in Australia. The history presented by the author presents a slight bias as it only mentions the failures of the individuals crossing, not to be compared with the happy success stories of countless individuals living in Australia as well. The author does not assume we know very much about this topic about an extreme end of the world and therefore adequately presents at least some evidence to suggest why this is such a big topic, furthermore, why it is worth discussing and retaliating about. In conclusion, the author does present slight bias towards the government by adequately presenting their reasons but not exploring the case of the individual (Asha) very well. We can assume he is for the government’s actions. His perspective will agree with many as this immigration problem is compared to what is going on in various countries around the world, particularly Europe.
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