Several churches have demanded for the closure of Australia's refugee detention centre on Nauru, renewing calls after reports surfaced revealing the extent of sexual abuse and assault going on within the facility.
According to Archbishop of Melbourne, Philip Freier, the documents published by The Guardian "paint a picture of successive Australian governments abandoning vital moral principles and treating refugees with callous cruelty to send a message of deterrence."
The thousands of documents, named the Nauru Files, revealed incidents of self-harm, unwanted sexual advances, facility security guards and officials asking for sex, inappropriate touching and suicidal tendencies of the detainees.
Archbishop Freier added that the Australian government carried on with the work secretly, as the public would never accept such ill-treatment.
"We have also repeatedly asked the government to end the cruel detention, especially of children, in these centres. It must act now in a morally responsible manner and move the asylum-seekers onshore" he stated.
According to the leaked documents, a girl in the centre wrote "I want death, I need death," apparently unable to cope with the abuse. The Guardian reported that an Iranian succumbed to his injuries in the island after self-immolation, protesting against the conditions on the island.
The latest reports suggest that Australia and Papua New Guinea have confirmed that the Manus Island detention centre will be closed but no time frame has been provided yet. Papua New Guinea's prime minister, Peter O'Neill announced the decision.
"Both Papua New Guinea and Australia are in agreement that the centre is to be closed," he said.
As part of the Howard government's 'Pacific Solution', the Nauru facility was opened in 2001.