Raped refugee ‘Abyan’ to leave Nauru again

The 23-year-old pregnant Somal­ian refugee who says she was raped on Nauru will return to Australia for medical treatment.

Somalian woman Abyan in Nauru.

The 23-year-old pregnant Somal­ian refugee who says she was raped on Nauru will return to Australia for medical treatment, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has confirmed.

Mr Dutton said Abyan (not her real name) would be transferred to Australia for a second time to receive mental health support and advice about an abortion after she was allegedly raped on the Pacific Island nation­ in July. She is reportedly now 15 weeks pregnant.

Despite indicating as early as September 1 that she wanted an abortion, the Immigration ­Department told a Senate estimates hearing last week that the woman had changed her mind and declined to undergo a termination when she was flown to Australia from October 11-16.

Since being sent back to Nauru she has met with staff on the island and has decided to travel to Australia again, Mr Dutton said.

However, he said initially she didn’t want to return, as revealed in The Australian. “As we said all along we would do what was in the best interest of this particular lady and that we would take the advice of the medical experts,” Mr Dutton said on Sky News.

The revelation follows calls from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for Australia and Nauru to “urgent­ly provide a decent ­option” for Abyan to obtain ­adequate mental and physical care to terminate her pregnancy.

“She does not feel safe, given that her alleged attacker lives on Nauru, which is a very small island­ state with a population of around 10,000,” spokesman Rupert­ Colville said.

Mr Dutton denied the push by the UN organisation had any influence on Abyan’s case. He said plans for her return had been developing “for some days” but wouldn’t be drawn on when Abyan would arrive in Australia.

“Now we need to let her seek the medical assistance that she deserves and needs,” he said, adding that it was ultimately her decision to have an abortion.

Mr Colville said his agency was aware of a “growing number” of sexual assault and rape alleg­ations since Australia re-establi­shed the Nauru detention centre for offshore processing in 2012 and was “very disturbed” by the trend.

Bill Shorten said Labor was “deeply concerned” the government had mismanaged Abyan’s “distressing and complex” situation. “I have no idea why it took so long for this young woman to get the help she needs,” the Oppos­ition Leader said.

Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young welcomed news of Abyan’s transfer back to Australia but called for an independent advocate to be with her at all times during her stay.