UPDATE: Sick children in need of urgent medical care remain on Nauru

Despite headlines this morning saying the Australian Government is considering transferring refugee children from Nauru by the end of the year, caseworkers have released details showing sick children in need of urgent medical care remain untreated on Nauru.

Caseworkers from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) detention advocacy team stated this morning that 5 of the 38 children remaining on Nauru have had repeated incidents of suicide.

PM Scott Morrison has indicated that the government has been moving children off Nauru, but Natasha Blucher, from the ASRC stated that, “The majority of families transferred from Nauru to Australia since October 15th have been moved after lawyers or the Federal Court intervened in their cases.”

Over the past week 41 families have been transferred off Nauru. Since October 15, 135 people have transferred off Nauru.

Doctors remain concerned about the health of these children, and are calling for all children and their families to immediately be brought to Australia.

There remain fifteen children on the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre’s (ASRC’s) caseload to be brought to Australia, who are at various stages of legal intervention to secure critical medical or mental health treatment. There are a further five who have not yet been fully assessed.

These include families with profound medical and mental health issues including unable to eat or drink, chronic health issues for mother and fathers, chronic depression and toddlers who are losing weight.

There have also been a number of babies born in offshore detention, who remain in detention, and there are a number of pregnant women.

Children remaining on Nauru:

-38 children remain on Nauru in offshore detention.
-Five children on Nauru are considered suicidal, and a number have attempted suicide.
-Many of these children’s parents also have substantial health issues, making it more difficult to care for their sick children.
-There are at least six toddlers who remain on Nauru.
-Toddlers are facing health concerns including anxiety, crying all night, nervous behaviour, aggressive behaviour and others have symptoms including skin diseases and other health and developmental issues.

Natasha Blucher, Detention Rights Advocacy Manager from the ASRC said:

“These kids are sick. They’re sick because they’re in an environment that is making them sick. Because they’ve got no hope. We have to get these kids off Nauru now.”

“One by one, they’re being brought to Australia”

“This crisis has gone on too long. And we can end this nightmare today.

“We have watched in shock and outrage as the Government’s lawyers have fought in court to prevent these transfers”

“The Morrison Government has lost every single one of these court cases, and only then have these desperately frail kids been evacuated, often by air ambulance with drips in their arms, and been rushed straight to hospital for emergency treatment as soon as they land,” Natasha said.