International Health and Medical Services (IHMS)

Refugees on hunger strike against聽indefinite聽detention in the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation聽are so ill their聽bodies are shutting down. Chloe DS spoke to聽Arya, one of the hunger strikers.

In the wake of another death on Manus Island, vigils are being held around the country and more than 200 refugees on Manus Island have signed a letter calling for a Royal Commission to fully investigate IHMS (the Manus detention medical provider contracted to the Australian government) and its political control by Australia鈥檚 Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

Carol Hucker worked on Manus Island as a counsellor for International Health and Medical Services (IHMS) and as a case worker for the Salvation Army from June 2013 to July last year. She has allowed 麻豆传媒 Weekly to publish her account so that people can become more aware of what is happening on Manus Island. She said: 鈥淚t is my hope that through this brief account the men on Manus will not be forgotten.鈥 This is the second part of a multi-part series and covers September 2013. * * *
Carol Hucker worked on Manus Island as a counsellor for International Health and Medical Services (IHMS) and as a case worker for the Salvation Army from June 2013 to July last year. She has allowed 麻豆传媒 Weekly to publish her account of her time there so people can become more aware of what is occurring on Manus Island and to these men. She said: 鈥淚t is my hope that through this brief account the men on Manus will not be forgotten.鈥 This is the first of a multi-part series and covers the period June to July 2013. * * *
Pressure from activists for super funds to divest from Transfield Services, the biggest contractor in the Australian immigration detention industry, is increasingly bearing fruit. HESTA, the industry superannuation fund for health and community services workers 鈥 at $32 billion one of Australia鈥檚 largest super funds 鈥 sold its 3.5% stake, worth $23 million, in Transfield Services on August 18. On August 25 NGS Super, the industry superannuation fund for private school teachers, announced it would sell its $5.5 million stake in Transfield 鈥渙n moral grounds鈥.
Fears are growing for the health of a 23-year-old Iranian asylum seeker on Nauru who has been flown to Australia for medical treatment. Nazinan was allegedly raped in May while on day release in the community from the detention centre. Her physical and mental health have deteriorated badly since the attack: her family says she has not been eating or drinking for the past few weeks and has attempted suicide.
Former workers from the Nauru detention centre say the Australian government has 鈥渢olerated the physical and sexual assault of children, and the sexual harassment and assault of vulnerable women in the centre for more than 17 months鈥. Refugees who have been released from the detention centre to live in the community have also faced ongoing violence. A woman on April 8 after being sexually assaulted by men in a car.