The Wire

As the latest asylum seeker boat disaster is unfolding, reports have come to light of serious abuse occurring on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. The reports, revealed by SBS’s Dateline program have sparked further debate about the validity of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s plan to process and re-settle asylum seekers on the pacific island.

Minister Burke is on his way to Manus island and Nauru to see the conditions there for himself, after former Detention Centre Manager Rod St George detailed abuse such as rape, torture and men being bashed. So what rights do these asylum seekers have and what responsibilities do the government have to respond to these abuses?