Asylum Seekers from Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran Cry as Indonesian Officers Force Them to Leave the Australian Vessel Hermia
IN PHOTO: Asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran cry as Indonesian officers force them to leave the Australian vessel Hermia docked at Indah Kiat port in Merak, Indonesia's Banten province in this April 9, 2012 file photo. REUTERS/Aulia Pratama

Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has been accused of mentally “torturing” a 5-year-old child by putting her in Nauru’s asylum seeker detention centre. The child was diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder because of her experiences while in detention.

According to a report by Save the Children, the child has begun showing “sexualised behaviour.” The girl is currently detained with her parents in Darwin since her father is receiving medical treatment. She will return to Nauru once her father recovers.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has accused Dutton of torturing the child refugee. “We know that the detention has caused these issues for her. Her mental health has deteriorated,” said Hanson-Young.

About 900 asylum seekers live in deplorable conditions in the Australia-run detention centre in Papua New Guinea’s island of Nauru. The asylum seekers remain in the facility while waiting for their refugee claims to be processed, reports ABC. Previous reports have indicated that sexual and physical abuses are common among women and children in the detention centre.

Mental health experts have recommended putting the girl and her family in a community but government officials warned the family will be returned to Nauru. Hanson-Young wrote to Dutton and urged him to follow the advice of experts and ensure the child will not be returned to Nauru. She warned that continuing to detain the child despite her condition will only cause more harm.

Dutton quickly responded to Hanson-Young’s strong statements. “That’s a repugnant statement, even beneath Sarah Hanson-Young, particularly given that 1200 people died at sea while the Greens were in government with Labour,” said the immigration minister.

John Lawrence, a lawyer, is planning to file a case in federal court to prevent the girl and her family to be returned to Nauru. He said the Australian government’s plan for the young girl is to have her return to the detention centre, reports SMH. Lawrence is seeking for a legal remedy to have the girl and her parents put into the custody of relatives who live in Sydney via a community visa.

An independent report into incidents of sexual abuse in Nauru in March found that female detainees were subjected to rape and sexual assault of minors. Guards in the facility had reportedly traded marijuana in exchange for sexual favours from the women in detention.

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