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

New United Nations Human Rights chief Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al-Hussein has slammed Australia for its "chain of human rights violations" including its poor treatment of asylum seekers in its offshore detention centres.

According to Sydney Morning Herald, the incoming high commissioner spoke before the UN Human Rights Council and challenged Australia to resettle refugees who were found to be from nations not capable of supporting them.

Prince Zeid criticised Australia's asylum seeker policy and its turning back of boats while at sea. In his speech, he blamed the country's foreign policy for a series of human rights violations. He cited Australia's "arbitrary detention and possible torture" of asylum seekers.

The UN human rights chief expressed his alarm over reports of children being detained in Cyprus and the United States. He addressed the situation in Sri Lanka and called on officials to cooperate with authorities. Prince Zeid condemned the violence against Muslim and Christian minorities in the country.

Australia's asylum seeker policy has repeatedly caught the attention of the UN and human rights watchdogs because of its treatment of detainees.

Asylum seekers held in Australia-run detention centre on Christmas Island have filed a class-action suit against the Abbott government for poor health care. The injured, pregnant and sick asylum seekers have accused Australia of neglecting their health and demanded compensation for the years they suffered in detention centres because of worsening conditions.

Reports said asylum seekers were seeking an order for them to be transferred from Christmas Island to another facility where they can receive appropriate health care. Asylum seekers claimed that authorities had "destroyed" whatever medication they had when they arrived in detention centres.

Female asylum seekers had their own concerns as well in Australia's detention centres. Some women have attempted to committed suicide because they no longer felt their lives were worth living. Professor Elizabeth Elliott from the University of Sydney's pediatrics and child health department who visited the detainees in recent months revealed that the women who attempted suicide had "extreme signs of depression."

In Christmas Island, pregnant women begged the doctors to take their babies and give them to Australian families for adoption. The cries for adoption began when asylum seeker women began to worry about their children's future. They thought their children will be better off with a family in Australia who can provide their needs. The women worry about the health of their children as some have developed skin infections, weeping sores and ringworms inside detention centres. Australia's "tight" asylum seeker policy has been blamed for the poor health conditions of the people detained in the country's offshore processing facilities.