Abyan’s story Aurora – GetUp!

NEVILLE,

The government is scrambling, trying to convince the Australian public that all is well on Nauru. But they can’t hide the human cost of their abusive detention regime.

This week, we heard the story of a 23 year old refugee called Abyan. After she fled war to seek safety in Australia, our government denied her our protection, and sent her to Nauru. When she was allegedly raped on the island, our government failed to offer her the care and support she needed.

Now, pregnant as a result of her violent assault, she is calling directly on Prime Minister Turnbull to allow her to urgently access medical care in Australia. Care that includes an abortion, which is illegal on the island.¹

Abyan’s case is an emergency we can’t let the government ignore. Pressure is already building on Prime Minister Turnbull – if enough of us speak out now, we could push him to act. Click here to call on the Prime Minister to allow Abyan to come to Australia for medical care.

Abyan’s story shows just how bad the situation on Nauru is for refugees and people seeking asylum.

Over the weekend the Nauran government announced that the Australian-run detention camp is now an ‘open centre’. Since then the governments of Australia and Nauru have been trying spin this as an improvement for refugees and people seeking asylum.

But it’s not true – Nauru remains unsafe.

Though the physical bars are gone, the constant threat of violence remains. It’s horrifying, but Abyan’s story is one of a string of reports of violence and sexual assault, including rape, occurring outside the camp’s walls.³ Women like Abyan deserve meaningful protection, access to justice – and control over their own bodies.

Will you take a few minutes to write to Prime Minister Turnbull calling on him to ensure Abyan and all women who have survived assault on Nauru receive the care they need, here in Australia? www.getup.org.au/she-needs-our-help

Thank you for doing your part to make sure Abyan receives the help she needs.

Aurora, Matthew and Sally for the GetUp team

PS. No Business in Abuse, our campaign targeting the corporations profiting from Australia’s grotesque detention regime, is causing trouble for Transfield! On Tuesday, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton implied that their new contract, which just a week ago looked like a done deal, is up in the air again.⁴ We’ll be in touch soon with more news from No Business in Abuse – in the meantime, congratulate yourself on the impact your voice is already having!

*Abyan is not her real name; it is the name used by the media to protect her identity.

References
[1] ‘Refugee raped on Nauru begs Malcolm Turnbull to let her come to Australia for an abortion’, Sydney Morning Herald, 7 October 2015
[2] ‘Detainees in Nauru to be granted full freedom of movement 24 hours a day’, ABC News, 3 October 2015
[3] ‘Detainees on Nauru may have been ‘released’, but they are not free’, The Converstion, 6 October 2015
[4] Interview with Peter Dutton on Breakfast, Radio National, 6 October 2015