Australia has a long history of accepting refugees and asylum seekers. But in recent years Australian governments have tightened laws, including producing videos in foreign languages, sternly warning potential asylum seekers not to attempt to reach Australia. The government has privatised the residential facilities and detention camps where asylum seekers are kept while their cases are being processed. Brynn O’Brien is an Australian lawyer who has been challenging the privatisation of these facilities because of their poor human rights record. She has worked on slavery as well as trafficking of migrant workers, and been a consultant to the United Nations. In Geneva for the UN Forum for Business and Human Rights, Brynn spoke to IHRB’s Salil Tripathi about the way asylum seekers and refugees are treated in privatised facilities and the campaign she leads to change that.
Australia has a long history of accepting refugees and asylum seekers. But in recent years Australian governments have tightened laws, including producing videos sternly warning potential asylum seekers not to attempt to reach Australia.