Afghanistan: Policewomen Report Past Abuse, Taliban Threats. Human Rights Watch

  • Taliban authorities have threatened Afghan women who had served in the police under the previous government, adding to the risks they face from their families who opposed their work.

  • Afghan policewomen have been doubly betrayed, first by the former government, whose officials were responsible for widespread sexual abuse, and then by countries that ignored the abuse when it happened and have not granted asylum.

  • Countries that supported programs to train and hire women in the Afghan police, including the US, Canada, Germany, Japan, and those in the EU, should support Afghan women seeking asylum and prioritize these women for refugee resettlement. 

Afghanistan: Policewomen Report Past Abuse, Taliban Threats. Human Rights Watch

Doubts over legal regime to redetain those released from Australian immigration detention, FoI documents reveal. By Paul Karp, The Guardian

Officials responsible for a regime to redetain people released from immigration detention have cast doubt on its effectiveness, warning the minimum nine-month timeframe to put cases together could make it harder for the government to win.

“In the absence of any offending, [it is] hard to illustrate that they pose an ongoing risk – so the longer it takes it weakens [the applicants’] case,” officials said, according to minutes of a January meeting discussing the operation of the scheme, passed after the high court’s ruling that indefinite immigration detention is unlawful.

Doubts over legal regime to redetain those released from Australian immigration detention, FoI documents reveal. By Paul Karp, The Guardian

Dehumanization of refugees means their stories are lost. By Peter Harrison, Arab News

People dying in small boats continues to happen on an all too regular basis; in fact, it is getting worse — but you could be forgiven for not noticing.

This has been a big election year and one of the main topics of conversation has been migrants. Around the world, refugees are dehumanized — they are referred to in numbers, with the word “refugee” often followed by “crisis.” They are referred to as anything but “people.”
With so many of their deaths unrecorded, we know little about their stories.

Dehumanization of refugees means their stories are lost. By Peter Harrison, Arab News

Australian government's immigration detention system faces new refugee class action. By David Estcourt, ABC News

In short:

A newly launched class action seeks to expand the decision in NZYQ, which saw the release of approximately 150 detainees last year.

Many of the detainees had criminal records, causing the federal government a huge political headache.

What's next?

Advocates say people in immigration detention are being kept in legal limbo for years, while the opposition has called for the government to pass legislation that it blocked in the Senate.

Australian government's immigration detention system faces new refugee class action. By David Estcourt, ABC News

Thousands of asylum seekers are still caught up in the government's now-abolished fast-track visa system, most have waited over a decade for permanency. By Olivia Di Iorio, SBS

Rathy Barthlote was only 28 when she was forced to flee her homeland.

With her husband and two-year-old daughter, she escaped Sri Lanka's Tamil genocide and arrived by boat to Australia in 2013.

Over a decade later, they are still waiting for the safety and security of permanent residency.

Thousands of asylum seekers are still caught up in the government's now-abolished fast-track visa system, most have waited over a decade for permanency. By Olivia Di Iorio, SBS

Gender, nationality ‘sufficient’ to grant Afghan women asylum: Top EU court. Aljazeera

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that gender and nationality alone are “sufficient” for a country to grant asylum to Afghan women.

The ECJ ruled on Friday that discriminatory measures adopted by the Taliban towards women “constitute acts of persecution” justifying the recognition of refugee status.

The United Nations human rights chief has called for the Taliban to repeal the “egregious” laws, which he said were an attempt to turn women into “faceless, voiceless shadows”.

Gender, nationality ‘sufficient’ to grant Afghan women asylum: Top EU court. Aljazeera

Immigration has provided 'marginal economic benefit', says the assistant minister. A lot rides on what happens next. By Gareth Hutchens, ABC News

Matt Thistlethwaite, the federal assistant minister for immigration, spoke to the Sydney Institute a few weeks ago. He explained how the Albanese Labor government was planning to fix Australia's broken migration system.

And he said something damning."For many decades Australia hasn't had a migration plan. We haven't had a migration strategy," he said.

A review in to Australia's migration system finds that temporary migrant workers are frequently "exploited" with the current system contributing to the risk of that. "As a result, Australia's migration policies have lacked direction and purpose. "Migration's been unresponsive to Australia's needs. It has provided marginal economic benefit and hasn't enhanced labour productivity.

Immigration has provided 'marginal economic benefit', says the assistant minister. A lot rides on what happens next. By Gareth Hutchens, ABC News

The story behind Australia's large Lebanese community. By Sean Tarek Goodwin, ABC News

The deteriorating situation in Lebanon has drawn a particular focus in Australia with the widening conflict in the Middle East.

The government has urged an estimated 15,000 Australian citizens currently in Lebanon to leave.

But why does Australia have such a large diaspora from a relatively small country on the other side of the world, and a particular interest in what happens there?

The history of the Lebanese community in Australia can be traced back over 130 years and has evolved with waves of migration over time.

The story behind Australia's large Lebanese community. By Sean Tarek Goodwin, ABC News

'I don't take any responsibility': Baron Waqa refuses to accept blame for poor treatment of refugees on Nauru. By Lydia Lewis, RNZ

A former Iranian refugee, who sought asylum in Australia but instead ended up at Nauru's offshore detention centre, wants former Nauru president and the current Pacific Islands Forum secretary general, Baron Waqa, to admit responsibility for the "cruel and inhumane" treatment of refugees.

'I don't take any responsibility': Baron Waqa refuses to accept blame for poor treatment of refugees on Nauru. By Lydia Lewis, RNZ

Tuvaluans determined to stay put are fighting challenges from rising tides to depopulation. By Coco Veldkamp, ABC News

Tuvalu is on the front lines of the climate crisis, with regular flooding already destroying vital crops and infrastructure. 

Pacific sea levels are rising faster than the global average, putting Tuvalu at even greater risk, according to a recent report from the World Meteorological Organization.

In response to this existential threat, last month Australia and Tuvalu signed the Falepili Union, offering up to 280 Tuvaluans — 2.5 per cent of the population — permanent residency in Australia each year. 

While the treaty has been embraced by those seeking education and work opportunities, it raises an urgent question: What happens to those who stay as the land and population shrink?

Tuvaluans determined to stay put are fighting challenges from rising tides to depopulation. By Coco Veldkamp, ABC News

No maps, no GPS, no training: How 44 people survived being turned back in the Timor Sea. By Zach Hope and Amilia Rosa, SMH

A boatload of migrants allegedly turned back by the Australian Border Force without maps, navigational equipment or reasonable training ran aground on rocks on Rote Island, Indonesia. Another group beached a few kilometres away and had to be rescued by locals responding to pleas for help.

One man said they were so scared after being cut loose in the vast Timor Sea with only a 15-minute Border Force course in navigating, that they didn’t dare to touch anything but the steering wheel………..

Hamzah Hamitu, a fisherman from Kupang and veteran of these waters, was incredulous when he heard there was no crew on the boats to guide the migrants to Rote Island safely.

“They [the Australians] shouldn’t have done that,” he said. “The Timor Sea is a dangerous place. We have strong currents – they could have easily died.”

No maps, no GPS, no training: How 44 people survived being turned back in the Timor Sea. By Zach Hope and Amilia Rosa, SMH

'Does he understand the difference?': Dutton criticised for international student remarks. SBS, By Jessica Bahr

Abul Rizvi, former deputy secretary at the immigration department, described Dutton's comments as "nonsense".

"The boat arrival comparison is nonsense; boat arrivals come without a visa, all of these students came with a visa," Rizvi said.

"If he (Dutton) doesn't understand the difference between that, he shouldn't have been home affairs minister."

'Does he understand the difference?': Dutton criticised for international student remarks. SBS, By Jessica Bahr

Behrouz Boochani confirmed as keynote speaker at Rural Australians for Refugees conference. By Jonathan Strauss, Green Left

Behrouz Boochani, Kurdish refugee, author and activist, will be the keynote speaker at the Rural Australians for Refugees (RAR) national conference in Kyneton, Victoria, from October 11–13.

Boochani’s address on collective resistance and activism will set the framework for discussions.

Moz (Mostafa) Azimitabar will present his and Farhad Bandesh’s film, Freedom is Beautiful, on the evening of October 12.

Behrouz Boochani confirmed as keynote speaker at Rural Australians for Refugees conference. By Jonathan Strauss, Green Left

Sukhdeep wants to see her mother while she is still alive – but Australia’s visa rules have left her in limbo. By Rafqa Touma, The Guardian

Sukhdeep Kaur with her husband Jaswinder Singh and daughter, Ravneet Garcha. Kaur cannot return to India to visit her mother, who is undergoing cancer treatment, without becoming unable to return.

“She is 75 years old, she is calling me every day to see her,” Kaur tells Guardian Australia. “She’s asking, ‘I want to see you while I am alive.’’ But, Kaur says, “I can’t leave to see her.” If she does, she won’t be able to return to Australia for three years.

That’s because Kaur is on a bridging visa. Kaur and her family have lived in Sunbury, in Melbourne’s north, since 2015.

She has been in limbo since then, unable to visit her mother, whom she hasn’t seen in seven years. Experts say her experience is shared by many migrants on bridging visas waiting for ministerial intervention applications to be considered.

Sukhdeep wants to see her mother while she is still alive – but Australia’s visa rules have left her in limbo. By Rafqa Touma, The Guardian

‘It grows this anger within people’: how Australia treats those fleeing humanitarian disaster depends on where they came from – and when. By Rafqa Touma and Ben Doherty, The Guardian

Over the past three decades, Australia had issued at least 25 different visa types to assist people forced from their homes by humanitarian emergency, according to a policy paper from the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law.

“When crises threaten lives, the Australian government often steps up – but not always in a predictable, efficient, equitable and effective way, if responses to Afghanistan, Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza are anything to go by,” the policy brief reads.

“For some people escaping these conflicts, travel to Australia has been relatively easy; for others, impossible,” the brief, written by Prof Jane McAdam and Dr Regina Jefferies, says.

‘It grows this anger within people’: how Australia treats those fleeing humanitarian disaster depends on where they came from – and when. By Rafqa Touma and Ben Doherty, The Guardian

Immigration detention's epidemic levels of self-harm paint Australia as a 'brutal outlier' among peers. By David Estcourt, ABC News

From 2019-24 Home Affairs recorded a total of 2,670 incidents of self-harm or threatened self-harm, an average of 1.54 reported incidents every day.

To house a detainee in detention it cost the Australian government $428,542 per person, per year, over the 2020-21 financial year, compared to $54,798 in community detention.

Immigration detention's epidemic levels of self-harm paint Australia as a 'brutal outlier' among peers. By David Estcourt, ABC News