“This removal to Nauru must be stopped.”
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection is attempting to send Abyan, the Somali refugee who fell pregnant after allegedly being raped on Nauru, back to the island.
Abyan was brought to Australia earlier this week to have her pregnancy terminated, but according to refugee advocates may be returned to Nauru as early as this afternoon.
According the Refugee Action Coalition (RAC), the 23-year-old was grabbed from her room at Villawood detention centre this morning.
She has not seen any counsellors, nor been advised of any medical arrangements for her planned termination.
RAC spokesperson Ian Rintoul told Mamamia that he had met with Abyan on Tuesday morning and she had requested to see a counsellor regarding the termination of her pregnancy.
“She is clearly distressed and said that she needed time and wanted to talk to counsellors and doctors about the termination of her pregancy,” he said.
“She said she had suffered too much on Nauru and she wanted have that information before she made that final decision.”
Mr Rintoul said Abyan had received nothing in the way of counselling or the normal medical treatment that would usually be given to a victim of sexual assault.
“Immigration is claiming that Abyan has declined to proceed with the termination, but this has not been confirmed with Abyan herself,” he said.
“This attempt to remove her is the most shocking violation of her rights imaginable. It is a vindictive move by the government against someone who has already suffered months of unnecessary trauma on Nauru.
“This removal to Nauru must be stopped.”
Abyan’s case first attracted the attention of the media after a video was aired on ABC’s 7.30 program, describing an incident in which she and another 26-year-old Somali woman were raped by two Nauruan men.
The second woman, Namjan (not her real name), is currently on Nauru, where the government is threatening her with charges of “false complaint” over the rape allegations.
“She again is very distressed,” Mr Rintoul said.
“She is aware of what the government is saying and is most immediately aware of the threats that await her if she leaves her accommodation.
“They are threatening to expose her and to kill her… She said she is very, very afraid.”
RAC are urging everyone who has been moved by Abyan’s plight and the situation of refugee women on Nauru to contact the Prime Minister and the Immigration Minister and demand that they put a halt to Abyan’s removal.
You can call Malcolm Turnbull’s office on (02) 6277 7700 or Peter Dutton on (02) 6277 7860. Or email them at malcolm.turnbull.mp@aph.gov.au and minister@immi.gov.au
Top Comments
So the latest is that the young lady is claiming that she never said she had changed her mind about the termination and merely wanted to have some counselling, an interpreter and talk to a doctor. Fair enough. If this is true then Australia should send a counsellor, an interpreter and a doctor to Nauru to consult with her and then she can be flown to an appropriate country such as Singapore for the procedure should she decide to go ahead with it. This solution would be a win-win for everyone. Unless of course Mr Dutton is correct and the real motive is to "obtain an immigration outcome."
It does sounds like she has changed her mind, or perhaps she has decided she is too far along, and an abortion would to too risky, either way it is her decision. She certainly should have counselling regardless of what decision she makes.