Refugee children on Nauru held a devastating New Year's protest.

On Wednesday, the Guardian reported that a six-year-old refugee had been the victim of an alleged sexual assault on Nauru.

The girl’s father, who is a refugee from Iran living on the island with his family, says he sought the help of local police after catching the perpetrator — who is also a refugee — in the act.

He hit out at the Nauruan police for failing to arrest or charge the man.

In spite of multiple allegations and documented incidents of attacks on refugees living on Nauru, including refugee women being raped by local men and the abuse of children, no one has ever been charged for any crime.

On New Year’s Day, while Australians were nursing their hangovers,  a group of refugee children living in the community gathered in front of a sign which read:

“1/1/2016 Australia is the only country in the world where children’s rights are violated.”

Wearing sloganned t-shirts they chanted:

“It’s not fair, High Court.”

Photos from the protest:

“The children in the community wanted to express their frustration and their tiredness of their lives being put on hold,” refugee advocate Margaret Sinclair told Mamamia (she also provided the images for this post and the video of the protest seen above).

“Life is just as unsafe in the community as it was in the Detention Centre, ” she said.

“Resettlement on Nauru hasn’t given anyone safety or real freedom. It’s unlikely that it ever will.”