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Australia will keep women refugees on Nauru safe: PM

Xinhua, October 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has insisted that the government is taking the safety of women refugees on the pacific island nation of Nauru seriously following allegations two women were raped.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Monday night aired a harrowing video of the moment one of the victims, a 26-year old Somali refugee, was found by Nauru police several hours after the alleged assault.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told Australia's national broadcaster on Thursday his government is working to ensure all asylum seekers and refugees were safe.

"We fund the deployment of the (Australian Federal Police) officers to support and mentor the Nauru police in their basic investigations and their policing," Turnbull said.

"The Nauru government has recently established a gender, violence and child protection unit within their department of home affairs."

"The whole government is very committed to ensuring that women - that all of the transferees and refugees, but in this context women and children - are absolutely safe in that environment."

Australian Peter Law, a former Nauru magistrate, however, said he has little confidence that police and the justice system can deal with the latest rape allegation.

A recent senate inquiry into Australia's offshore immigration processing centers found 50 incidents of alleged crime were reported to Nauru police by the operators since 2012. However, only two convictions have resulted.

New Zealand suspended its foreign aid to the small pacific island - used to bolster the justice system - in early September over allegations the rule of law has all but collapsed.

The country fired an Australian police commissioner while investigations into bribery allegations involving Nauru President Baron Waqa and Justice Minister David Adeang were in progress

Five opposition MPs, including opposition leader Roland Kun, have also been banished from the 18-seat parliament for bringing the country in to international disrepute by using foreign media to criticize the Waqa government.

The Waqa government has also imposed an 8,000 Australian dollar non-refundable visa application fee for foreign journalists wishing to visit the island.

Australia-based refugee advocates have also said the latest rape allegations is just the tip of the iceberg.

"We've been speaking to these women for months and the sexual violence against them is horrific," Pamela Curr from Melbourne's Asylum Seeker Resource Center said.

A recent Australian senate inquiry found the Australian operator of the Nauru immigration and detention center, Transfield Services, has received 67 allegations of child sexual abuse - 30 of those against the center's staff - as well as 33 reports of alleged rape or sexual assault on asylum seekers. Endi