I'm so spoiled in this information age. It's so vexing that I can't just put my hands on a copy of Jacintha Buddicom's letter describing a youthful Eric Blair's attempt to rape her. I don't want to read any more descriptions or interpretations of the letter, especially not any more rape myths dragged out to protect George Orwell's honour; I want to read her words for myself. (And I shall, the next time I can get to the National Library.)

Landmark report reveals a woman dies every week due to Australia's domestic violence crisis (ABC, 28 February 2018). That report is: Family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia, 2018

What if we knew domestic violence was a cause of suicide? (SMH, 6 November 2017). "A new report by the NSW Domestic Violence Deaths Review team shows a connection between those who take their own lives and who have also experienced family violence as a victim, a perpetrator, even a witness. Just under 40 per cent of all the suicides in the study were known to police because of domestic violence. Nearly half – and that proportion held true for men, who are mostly the perpetrators, and for women, who are mostly the victims."

The #MeToo survivors we forgot (USA Today, 19 April 2018). "A Me Too-style movement could help debunk common myths about domestic abuse, as well as pressure the criminal and legal systems to make things easier for the victims, not the abusers, advocates say."

Change The Course: National Report on Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment at Australian Universities (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2017)

Sexual Victimization by Women Is More Common Than Previously Known (Scientific American, October 2017). (Importantly, this isn't an attempt to discredit feminism, nor to shift the spotlight away from female victims of sexual assault.)

Domestic Violence: Aboriginal women ask Australians to pay attention to assaults and murders (ABC, 11 July 2017)

A third of assault patients in Australia female: study (SMH, 19 April 2017). "More than half of all women and girls who end up in hospital being treated after an assault have been attacked by their partners."

Bid for paid domestic violence leave rejected (SMH, 3 July 2017) "A full bench of the Fair Work Commission said it has taken the "preliminary view" that while it is necessary to make provisions for family and domestic violence leave, it had rejected an application for 10 days of leave to be covered under all modern awards for all employees."

'Once a girl is married, there is no going back' (ABC, 29 July 2017). "It's a type of domestic violence you probably haven't heard of: dowry abuse. Some Indian-Australian men are using their desirable status as residents to extort thousands of dollars from the women they're marrying, with threats and violence if their escalating demands aren't met."

'Submit to your husbands': Women told to endure domestic violence in the name of God (ABC, 18 July 2017) | How to navigate the research on domestic violence and Christian churches: A few frequently asked questions (ABC, 24 July 2017)

Exposing the darkness within: Domestic violence and Islam (ABC, 24 April 2017) | Muslim women unite to encourage daughters to have healthy relationships (ABC, 26 April 2017) NB: "There's no evidence that suggests domestic violence rates are higher among Muslim women than the broader Australian community."

Domestic Violence: Family Law Act plan could see end to alleged perpetrators cross-examining accusers (ABC, 17 July 2017)

Abortion laws making it harder for women to escape domestic violence, expert warns (ABC, 21 June 2017)

Domestic violence: Report finds 'clear link' between media reporting and understanding of issue (ABC, 30 June 2017). "Our Watch CEO Mary Barry said the way journalists frame individual stories can have a major impact on public understanding. 'Blaming victims for the violence inflicted upon them, for instance, still happens in one in six articles about violence against women,' she said."

BOSCAR data showing rise of domestic violence by women 'not giving the full picture' (ABC, 22 June 2017)

Domestic violence survivors should get early access to super, HESTA says (ABC, 20 June 2017)

Universities spend millions preparing for wave of sexual assault reports (SMH, 22 July 2017). "Australian universities will spend millions of dollars on counselling services as 'a wave of victims' are expected to come forward following the release of the world's largest report into sexual assault on campus." The AHRC survey of tertiary students will be released on 1 August.

Texas slashed funding for Planned Parenthood and ended up with more teen abortions (ThinkProgress, 17 July 2017)

Rural women 'bullied' into caesareans amid doctor shortage (ABC, 16 July 2017)

Introducing use-it-or-lose-it leave for fathers would make life fairer for mothers (ABC, 20 July 2017). "Under [Australia's paid parental leave system], the primary carer is eligible for up to 18 weeks' pay at minimum wage, nine times more than Dad and Partner Pay, which is two weeks at minimum wage."

CWA members hope washable sanitary pads will give isolated women freedom to learn (ABC, 13 July 2017)

Islamophobia: Women wearing head coverings most at risk of attacks, study finds (ABC, 10 July 2017)

Explainer: Why do Muslim women wear a burka, niqab or hijab? (ABC, 23 September 2014). Explains the difference between different kinds of coverings.

How can Muslim feminists reclaim their religion from men? (ABC, 1 May 2017)

Catcalling and street harassment is happening more often than you might think (ABC, 22 June 2017)

The woman transman who was charged with murdering her his wife (ABC, 5 September 2012). The historical story of Harry Crawford.

This is topical, given the Tweeter-in-Chief's latest announcement: Witch-hunts and surveillance: The hidden lives of LGBTI people in the Australian military (ABC, 24 May 2017)

Intersex and proud: model Hanne Gaby Odiele on finally celebrating her body (GA, 23 April 2017)

A Queer Gods Ritual: An Introduction to the Queer Ones. I was pleased to find this again, so I'm leaving it here.

Good grief, there's so much more. It'll have to wait for another posting.

Reproductive Freedom

I made it to the pro-choice rally yesterday, late as usual, but in time to join the march to Parliament House. (In fact, I'm briefly visible in the video from it here. :) The speakers really put into context for me the need for women, for any person with a uterus, to be able to control this most basic aspect of our lives: sexual assault, domestic violence, homelessness, poverty, homophobia and transphobia, the denial of sex education, the constant attacks on services - to Women's Legal Service Victoria. Illegal and/or inaccessible terminations, and harassment at clinics and hospitals, are just part of the continual assault on our well-being. Or to put it another way: Never mind America, access to abortion is a 'nightmare' for many Australians.

The Greens are introducing a Bill to remove abortion from the criminal law in NSW, where it's still technically illegal, which means that women's reproductive freedom is always in danger, perhaps more so now than ever. Read about the Bill and email your representative at http://www.end12.org.au/.

Abortion is also illegal in Queensland. QLD Coalition MPs oppose reform, so a proposed Bill decriminalising abortion was withdrawn earlier this year, but has been sent to the Law Reform Commission in the meantime.

The Northern Territory has just decriminalised abortion and legalised RU486, as well as providing safe access zones around clinics and hospitals. RU486 still can't be legally used by women in South Australia and the ACT (as you may imagine, this isn't stopping its use).

Medical abortion access restricted by cost, distance and knowledge (SMH, 23 January 2017). "The study recommends policy attention is put toward preventing unwanted pregnancies and advocates for increasing medicare rebates to lessen financial burden, particularly for women beyond their first trimester."

Women going without food to pay for abortions: study (SMH, 23 January 2017). About a third of the women surveyed experienced financial difficulties.


Sexual and Domestic Violence

Fact file: Domestic violence in Australia (ABC FactCheck, 15 April 2017) | Australian police handle 5,000 domestic violence matters a week, up 7 per cent (ABC, 22 April 2016) - that's over a quarter of a million every year. | National Legal Aid calls for more funding after new figures reveal domestic violence a factor in 79pc of family law cases (ABC, 18 April 2017)

More than third of sexual assaults, homicides linked to domestic violence, ABS data shows (ABC, 13 July 2016) | Half the men who kill partners have history of domestic violence (SMH 29 April 2017)

Aboriginal mothers 17 times more likely to die from homicide, WA study finds (ABC, 13 July 2016). Indigenous mothers in WA are 6.5 times more likely to die from all preventable causes, including car crashes and suicide.

Hidden victims: Women on visas feeling trapped after domestic violence abuse (ABC, 5 April 2017)

Family violence a bigger health risk for women than smoking, drinking, obesity: study (ABC, 1 November 2016). "The burden of disease is a calculation of the impact of particular diseases and risk factors on an entire population. It is a measure of both fatal and non-fatal health impacts, which take into account the severity and duration of health conditions. The study found partner violence was among the top ten risk factors contributing to disease burden among all adult women... Among women 18 to 44 years, it was the biggest single risk factor when violence in all intimate relationships was included, bigger than smoking, alcohol use or being overweight or obese. When considering only violence by live-in partners, in this age group, partner violence ranked second only to alcohol use."

Sexual assault on Australian campus is a serious problem. Compounding it: University sexual assault policies are often 'inconsistent' and 'confusing' (ABC, 2 March 2017). In fact, the group End Rape on Campus Australia accuses unis of active cover-ups of rape. An opinion piece asks: Sexual assault: What is your university doing to prevent it? (ABC, 25 February 2017)

In NSW, accused domestic violence perpetrators are allowed to cross-examine their alleged victims, a deeply traumatising experience.

'Life-saving' Victorian domestic violence pet shelter program struggling to meet high demand (ABC, 28 February 2017) Safe Steps has a list of temporary pet care for Australians fleeing domestic violence.

Explainer: What happens when someone applies for a domestic violence protection order (SMH, 1 February 2017)

Female domestic violence victims being punished for acting in self defence, say advocates (ABC, 6 July 2016)

How 'Disney dads' are making life hell for their partners (SMH, 23 October 2017): how financial abuse can worsen after separation.

Direct link between sexual objectification of girls and aggression towards them (Medical Xpress, 24 January 2017)

Men who kill female partners, as opposed to strangers, get lighter sentences, Canadian study finds (CBC News, 22 November 2015) "'This may mean that women killed by male partners are still seen as property,' researcher says".

ETA: Technology-facilitated abuse: The new breed of domestic violence (ABC, 27 March 2017)

Gender

Women using IVF to choose the sex of their children break silence on 'gender disappointment' (Lateline, 27 February 2017).

Compare and contrast: 'We don't know if your baby's a boy or a girl': growing up intersex (GA, 2 July 2017). "'My entire pregnancy, I'd worried that I wasn't going to be able to love my baby because it wasn't a he and it wasn't a she,” she recalls. But when Jack was born, he was blue and floppy. 'Although it was awful at the time, it was the best thing that could have happened: I would have done anything to have made sure he was breathing again.' Her eyes fill with tears. 'Quite quickly, he was crying. The relief was unbelievable. He was a baby and he needed feeding. Making sure that he was cared for was my priority, not poking around in his nappy.'

Report on new estimates of the size of the lesbian, gay and bisexual population of England (Medixal Xpress, 3 February 2017): somewhere between 2.5% and about 6%.

Sexual Orientation, Controversy, and Science (Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 25 April 2016). "The most contentious scientific issues have concerned the causes of sexual orientation—that is, why are some people heterosexual, others bisexual, and others homosexual? The actual relevance of these issues to social, political, and ethical decisions is often poorly justified, however."

Photos: Two-spirit people throughout history (NPR, 25 October 2014)

ETA: How AP tallied the cost of North Carolina's "bathroom bill" (Washington Post, 27 March 2017). The state's pointless bathroom fascism will cost it "more than $3.76 billion in lost business over a dozen years".

More stuff:

From the recent debate over "Obamacare": Male GOP lawmaker asks why men should pay for prenatal coverage. The same reason women pay for cover for prostate surgery. Follow the link for the simple explanation.

Also from Up Over: 4chan: The Skeleton Key to the Rise of Trump. A blogger's analysis of 4chan, gender, and Trump, "the loser who has won".

Unconscious bias is keeping women out of senior roles — can we get around it? (ABC, 8 March 2017). The vicious cycle of affinity bias and how it helps maintain the glass ceiling.

Unpaid work contributes $345 billion a year to Australia's economy. Women perform about three-quarters of that work, including child care and domestic work. Paid work in Australia is still about as gender-segregated as it was twenty years ago.

Sex differences in cognition are small (Mind Hacks, 14 February 2017). Or, to put it another way, there are no male and female brain types.

Remembering Nüshu, the 19th-Century Chinese Script Only Women Could Write (Atlas Obscura, 16 February 2017)

1800RESPECT is national sexual assault / domestic violence service offering phone and online counselling. Lots of info at their Web site.

Support services for at-risk queer Aussie youth (Star Observer, 25 November 2016)

The planned repeal of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) in the US will leave 55 million women unable to afford contraception, prompting a rush for IUDs and other long-lasting methods. Texas's stripping of funding from its reproductive health clinics, including Planned Parenthood (who are set to lose federal funding), means it now has the highest maternal mortality rate in the developed world. With the UK also facing a crisis in abortion care, Australian women should be wary of copycat attacks on our reproductive freedom; the current government has already started chipping away at Medicare, and abortion and RU486 are technically illegal in more than one state and territory - something we must change.

Human Rights Watch says Papua New Guinea has failed to protect women and children (GA, 13 January 2017) | more on women and children in PNG from MSF

Sexual fluidity: Living a label-free life (ABC, 4 October 2016) | Australia's secret history of sexual fluidity (ABC, 3 Octobr 2016) Pretty sure these stories were in response to the Australian's vicious war on the Safe Schools program and gender-variant kids, providing some much-needed information in the face of ignorance. (More on Safe Schools: "Heteronormativity, cisgender, gender binary, queer theory and gender fluidity are now mainstream ideas, or at least mainstream enough to cause a sustained backlash.") | No differences noted over time for children of gay, lesbian adoptive parents (Medical XPress, 24 October 2016) | Supporting and Caring for Transgender Children (Human Rights Campaign / American Academy of Pediatrics / American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians guide, 29 September 2016)

Push to support homeless LGBTI youth after influx at crisis accommodation centres (ABC, 31 March 2016) | Queer, young and homeless (Background Briefing, 3 April 2016) | Explainer: what treatment do young children receive for gender dysphoria and is it irreversible?
(The Conversation, 2 September 2016) | Transgender teenagers 'risking lives' buying hormones on black market because they can't access the Family Court (Australian Story, 15 August 2016)

Sexual assault among young people is on the rise. But why? (ABC, 3 September 2016) |How the justice system lets sexual assault victims down (ABC, 3 September 2016) | We cannot allow the courts to judge rape by sexual history (GA, 18 October 2016) |Sexual assault victims find justice online (SMH, 24 April 2016) Women are reporting street harassment, domestic violence, and sexual assault on Web sites which can put them in touch with counsellors and even pass on anonymous reports to police. This is an excellent way to give women (men, too, I hope) a chance to tell their story while keeping complete control, which is exactly what is lost in an incident of abuse.

Human Rights Commissioner Gillian Triggs sounds alarm on rape and sexual assault (SMH, 20 September 2016) | Sexual assault on campus is systemic. But Sydney uni has failed to act for decades (GA, 23 August 2016) | The US Department of Justice's 2016 report on racism in Baltimore's Police Department also discovered their persistent failure to investigate sexual assault. Officers display scepticism and hostility toward women who report sexual assault, especially sex workers, and mistreat transgender people. It's wearying to be reminded that, in so many places, the clock is still stuck on this issue.

Donald Trump's Remarks Show He's Mistaken on Sexual Assault in Military (NYT, 8 September 2016). Trump defended a Tweet saying that rape in the military is the result of placing men and women together. In fact, half of the victims are men.

Testing of backlogged rape evidence leads to hundreds of convictions (Phys.org, 14 November 2016)

Elderly women in Kenya learning karate to fight back against sexual assault in slums (ABC, 16 January 2016). They are awesome. Includes the phrase "ferocious grandmother".


Study gives doctors guidance on reproductive coercion (Medical XPress, 11 October 2016) "New research finds that men purposely are breaking their own condoms and pressuring female partners in their teens and 20s to go without birth control in order to get them pregnant... similar to other forms of controlling behavior in abusive relationships, male partners interfere with women's birth control use as a means to control them."

Almost a third of young women don't feel safe in public places at night, A Right to the Night report finds (ABC, 12 May 2016) | Half of Australian women feel unsafe walking alone at night, report says (SMH, 27 October 2016)

Sexual harassment rate jumps across Australia by more than 12 per cent from 2011 (ABC, 17 October 2016) | Why is CSIRO losing its brightest stars? (Background Briefing, 20 November 2016). "Some of CSIRO's top women astronomers are quitting due to a dysfunctional workplace that they say protects harassers and punishes them instead."

The secret mosques opening their doors to LGBT+ Muslims (ABC, 3 October 2016)

Most migrant sex workers satisfied with their work: Australian Institute of Criminology (SMH, 22 July 2016) | Male sex workers call for respect, understanding (SMH, 19 June 2016) | Sex workers fight against stigma for equal justice (Saturday Paper, 26 November 2016). Australian sex workers may avoid reported sexual and other assault to the police for fear of mistreatment or of being "outed". Laws making sex work a crime contribute to the problem. | Former sex workers claim harassment by pro-prostitution groups after speaking out (ABC, 12 October 2016). Takeaway message: "Not all sex workers have the same experience or want the same thing."

The Male Face Of Sexual Slavery (OZY, 17 February 2016)

South Korea's Misogyny (NY Times, 13 June 2016) | South Korea: A Thriving Sex Industry In A Powerful, Wealthy Super-State (IBT, 29 April 2013)

The WHO says being transgender is a mental illness. But that could soon change (SMH, 29 July 2016)

The transgender 'bathroom bill': Who wants it — men or women? (Medical XPress, 19 December 2016). "Most women are not bothered much about the fact that they might at times share public bathrooms designated for females with transgender women... Men on the other hand take umbrage, and worry about the safety and privacy of the women in their lives. Such male transphobia has its roots in how men see themselves as the so-called protectors of women." There are certainly transphobic and gender policing women infesting public loos - I'm a little worried about encountering one on our next visit Up Over - but since there are no known cases of a trans woman harassing a cis woman in the ladies', it makes sense that cis women would generally not be worried about a nonexistent threat.

Does CCTV footage help or hinder the reduction of violence against women? (ABC, 26 October 2016)

The ignorance aimed at Caster Semenya flies in the face of the Olympic spirit (GA, 23 August 2016) "It is also clear the increased scrutiny is reserved for women perceived as not feminine enough, which is the bedrock of what is in the policies. For example, it is stated that: 'The individuals concerned often display masculine traits and have an uncommon athletic capacity in relation to their fellow female competitors.' Gender variance has always incited scrutiny, and this scrutiny is often racialised. Living outside of these normative racialised gendered expectations means coming under scrutiny and probing in ways invisible to the institutions and individuals doing the looking." | I know how Caster Semenya feels – as an intersex person, I've been harassed my entire life (The Independent, 21 August 2016) "Being visibly outside of the expectations of gender roles can come at a great cost, and with a steady stream of abuse from the rest of the world. It can make you feel as if you are an alien, a monster in a bad sci-fi movie."

I Never Went Through Puberty: Life As A Perpetual Adolescent (Cracked, of all places, 2 October 2016). The story of Kevin, an intersex boy with Klinefelter Syndrome. | Intersex — seeking the beauty in difference (Medical XPress, 4 October 2016) Sean, an intersex man, has Androgen-Insensitivity Syndrome.

Always an interesting perspective: World's most senior transgender military officer says she was surprised by sexism (GA, 4 April 2015)

Bisexual men and women face pay gap, US study finds (Phys.org, 15 November 2016) | Workplace discrimination: Half of LGBTI Australians hide sexuality at work, report finds (ABC, 28 September 2016)

Sexism may be harmful to men's mental health (Medical XPress, 21 November 2016). Doesn't do anyone else any good, either. :)

6 Matriarchies Still Functioning Today (Marie Claire, 8 March 2016)

Life-like robot babies do not discourage teen pregnancies: study (ABC, 26 August 2016) wtf

Viral pics of a maned lioness (probably).


(Saving the domestic violence stuff for another posting.)

The big news is that Australia and the United States have made a deal in which the US will take some of the refugees on Manus Island and Nauru. There are many questions about the deal, including whether President-Elect Trump will honour it, as it will take months for anyone to be resettled. (Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce says he knows but can't say whether Trump will accept the deal?!)

Anything that gets people out of those hell-holes and to safety is a positive thing IMHO. But then there's this: Refugee deal: Sex assault victims must return to Nauru, Manus for chance at US resettlement (SMH, 15 November 2016): "Asylum seekers and refugees who have left Nauru and Manus for medical treatment in Australia, including sexual assault victims and mental health patients, will have to return to the islands if they are to have any chance of being accepted under the US resettlement deal. However, they risk being forced to stay on Nauru if they are rejected by US authorities or the deal is scrapped."

GetUp have responded to the deal with a petition demanding Safety For All.

More: What we do and don't know about the refugee resettlement deal with the United States (ABC, 13 November 2016) | Refugee deal: United Nations to determine numbers to be resettled in US from Manus Island, Nauru (ABC, 17 November 2016) | Asylum seeker deal: US officials arrive in Australia to assess refugees for resettlement (ABC, 19 November 2016) | Nauru and Manus Island refugees and asylum seekers sceptical of US deal (GA, 14 November 2016): "Some greet news with joy while others concerned about Donald Trump’s ban on Muslim immigration and not being able to join family in Australia." It’s hard for me to leave Manus Island without justice: Behrouz Boochani on the US refugee deal (GA, 13 November 2016)

Will the US resettlement deal restart flow of boats? (SMH, 19 November 2016) SPOILER: no. This article mentions the reason for the boats: our offshore humanitarian intake - that is, our intake of refugees who haven't reached Australia - excludes those waiting in Indonesia.

Lifetime ban on refugees visiting Australia in trouble as crossbenchers voice opposition (GA, 14 November 2016). Senators David Leyonhjelm, Derryn Hinch, Stirling Griff, and Skye Kakoschke-Moore all expressed concern. Contact them to let them know you oppose the proposed ban.

Iranian refugee says he was attacked by a group of men on Manus Island (GA, 10 November 2016)

Asylum seekers who came on boats to Australia jailed in Vietnam, advocacy group says (ABC, 14 November 2016)

Australia's immigration measures are keeping families apart, study says (GA, 19 November 2016)

Lawyers want PMs from John Howard to Malcolm Turnbull in dock over asylum detention (SMH, 14 November 2016) "The group of seven British, American and Australian lawyers, which includes high-profile barrister and refugee advocate Julian Burnside, has petitioned the International Criminal Court to investigate the treatment of asylum seekers by successive governments, beginning with John Howard's." Go for it!

APEC Summit: Malcolm Turnbull plays down possible refugee resettlement deal with Malaysia (ABC, 19 November 2016)

Perhaps emboldened by Mr Trump's success in the US election, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has made another broad swipe at immigrants. Because that went down so well before the Australian election.

This must also apply to Australian politicians: How to Make Your Congressman Listen to You. So many things that are beyond my reach.

The Combined Refugee Action Group page on Facebook has plenty of information on this Saturday's protests, the paper petition to Parliament, and other information and action you can take.

More than 100 Nauru and Manus staff call for centres to close (GA, 17 August 2016) | 'This is critical': 103 Nauru and Manus staff speak out – their letter in full (GA, 17 August 2016)

'I think I will die here': Nauru asylum seeker who says she was raped begs for medical evacuation (SBS, 15 August 2016)

Revealed: Peter Dutton's extensive briefings about risks and harm to children on Nauru (GA, 17 August 2016)

'Compliant, groggy state': In Nauru's ghost camps, refugees sleep away the pain (The Age, 22 August 2016)

Nauru teacher speaks out about abuse in detention centre (Bega District News, 24 August 2016)

Asylum seekers: Nauru's top court may be forced to decide whether detention is lawful (GA, 18 August 2016)

WA premier says children in detention 'unacceptable', welcomes refugee families (GA, 18 August 2016)

Both Australia and PNG responsible for Manus - Court (Radio NZ, 23 August 2016) | Australia confirms Manus Island immigration detention centre will close (GA, 17 August 2016). "Australia and Papua New Guinea have confirmed that the Manus Island detention centre will be closed but offered no detail on the future of the 854 men held there – except that Australia remains adamant it will accept none of the detainees for resettlement."| Fewer than 20 asylum seekers voluntarily resettled in Papua New Guinea: Peter Dutton (SMH, 18 August 2016)

Manus detainees claim false imprisonment in class action against the Australian government and service providers (SMH, 17 August 2016)

The eyes of the world: Tales of anguish from refugees kept for years in Australia's offshore camps (Los Angeles Times, 23 August 2016) | Former aid worker details abuse at refugee camp (CNN, 17 August 2016) | Danish MP confirms visit to Nauru camp at heart of offshore detention outcry (GA, 23 August 2016) | Folketinget skal studere flygtningelejre på Nauru (Parliament must study the refugee camps on Nauru) (Informatíon, 24 August 2016 - one of many articles, but behind a paywall)| Australian diplomats in UK and New Zealand may be called in to explain Nauru files (GA, 11 August 2016)

The claim that locking asylum seekers up in Nauru and PNG saves lives is bogus (GA, 22 AUgust 2016). "Each person detained offshore in terrible conditions costs Australian taxpayers an eye-watering A$430,000 a year each, according to the National Commission of Audit. Just think how much those people could contribute to Australian society if only a small fraction of that amount was instead spent on welcoming them and getting them into work.

The evidence is clear. The Australian government allocated A$27.8m in fiscal year 2014-15 to support 2,750 'authorised onshore arrivals' (people who arrive in Australia with a visa and then seek asylum), amounting to A$10,100 per person. That much smaller fiscal outlay is repaid many times over as refugees start working and contributing to society, as many economic studies show."

Manus Island bill $2 billion and counting – $1 million for each detainee (SMH, 21 August 2016)

(Ye gods, I haven't even done a post about Don Dale yet.)

A short history of Nauru, Australia’s dumping ground for refugees (GA, 10 August 2016)

Australia: Appalling abuse, neglect of refugees on Nauru (Amnesty International, 2 August 2016) | Australia: Appalling Abuse, Neglect of Refugees on Nauru (Human Rights Watch, 2 August 2016) | Genital mutilation sufferer denied treatment on Nauru, hospital patient discharged with needles in hands: report (SMH, 3 August 2016). "Two researchers from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch spent 12 days at Nauru last month and interviewed 84 asylum seekers and refugees, as well as workers who risked prosecution by disclosing information."

Refugee with growing breast lump has medical transfer from Nauru cancelled (GA, 6 August 2016) "Woman and more than 12 others told their transfers to Papua New Guinea have been postponed for at least three weeks."

Former Save the Children workers say Nauru files 'just the tip of the iceberg' (GA, 10 August 2016) "In an unprecedented statement, 26 former workers, including case managers, social workers, child protection specialists, teachers, and adult, child and youth recreation workers have joined to publicly address the abuses and trauma that occurred on Nauru, and to call for the centre’s closure."

Nauru files reveal cases of alleged sexual violence and child abuse not disclosed to parliament (GA, 11 August 2016)

Nauru guard admits throwing rocks at young children, allegedly injuring five-year-old child (SMH, 10 August 2016).

From pleas to threats to harm: files reveal escalation of trauma on Nauru (GA, 11 August 2016) "The leaked reports chart distress increasing over time as uncertainty takes its toll on asylum seekers and the staff sent to guard them."

Nauru teachers speak out for children: ‘We don’t have to torture them’ (GA, 11 August 2016). "Three Australians who taught asylum seekers on the island say the offshore detention regime is engendering illiteracy and robbing children of their childhood." Meanwhile, a Nauruan trainee teacher responds to two teenage detainees' account of their lives on the island by saying she would like to "slap the lying lips off your face".

Wilson Security paid guard to keep quiet about alleged sexual assault on Manus Island (ABC, 7 July 2016)

Most people sent to Manus Island are genuine refugees, new figures show (SMH, 30 June 2016) "... 87.7 per cent of people who have been assessed are refugees - an almost identical proportion to the number of boat arrivals to Australia who were later found to be genuine refugees. Figures from 2012-13 show 88 per cent of boat arrivals were found to be genuine refugees."

Immigration department failed to properly oversee healthcare provider, reviews show (GA, 28 June 2016) With a $1.6 billion contract at stake, IHMS failed to provide adequate health care on Manus and Nauru and then lied to cover it up; the Immigration Department let them get away with it.

'End this political game': Manus Island refugee makes plea to Australia (GA, 30 June 2016) Rohingyan refugee Imran Mohammad Fazal Hoque's account of 1,000 days in detention states that "there is regularly not enough food in the detention centre, and people often miss out on meals. There was no dentist on Manus for 15 months, no chance for private conversation with family, and detainees' personal property was often stolen or withheld." He says that, since the centre was found to be illegal, conditions and safety have become even worse. Iranian journalist Behrouz Boochani backs this up, describing the centre as having become "extremely militarised... due to the blurring of responsibilities. It is unclear who is responsible for the safety of asylum seekers." We are.

The worst I've seen – trauma expert lifts lid on 'atrocity' of Australia's detention regime (GA, 20 June 2016) "In his 43-year career, psychologist Paul Stevenson has worked in the aftermath of the Bali bombings and the Boxing Day tsunami but says nothing he witnessed was as bad as the treatment of asylum seekers on Nauru and Manus." | Nauru and Manus incident reports reveal stream of despair and privation (GA, 20 June 2016) Examples of incident reports from Paul Stevenson's records.

Manus refugee allegedly assaulted by guards while having breakdown needs help, friends say (GA, 17 June 2016)

Manus Island: calls for asylum seeker to be brought to Australia for psychological help (GA, 16 June 2106) (I don't think this is the same man as the 17 June report.)

Money, manipulation and misunderstanding on Manus Island (Canberra Times, 5 July 2016) The mixed blessing that the detention centre has been for the island, and the implications for Papua New Guinea of its closure. | In PNG and Nauru, Australia’s immigration policy comes at the expense of democracy (GA, 15 June 2016): the impact of our detention centres on corruption and violence in these nations.

Very belatedly, thanks to some bad experiences with antidepressants: Reza Barati death: Two men jailed over 2014 murder of asylum seeker at Manus Island detention centre (ABC, 19 April 2016)

Although I am not a Christian, I was struck by the central argument in Offshore Detention: On Not 'Getting Used to It', of a Christian "ethos" of "the infinite value of the individual human being". "Today when we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in the rescue of a single person lost at sea, irrespective of the stupidity that might have landed them there, we are drawing on an outrageous idea that is still the glory and beauty of our culture. Human value trumps more "rational" concerns." I don't know whether Christianity invented this concept or has been the only proponent of it; but would that we lived in that world.

The torment of women at Nauru: 'This is reason I left my country – this fear of rape' (SMH, 7 June 2016) The newly released Protection Denied, Abuse Condoned: Women on Nauru at Risk report from Australian Women in Support of Women on Nauru. The news item includes a staggering report of a traumatised rape victim being deliberately starved for a week to force her to leave her room. The report also includes a history of Nauru and background to its current situation, and, importantly, considers violence against Nauruan women. (Here's another backgrounder on Australia's long history of using Nauru. With remarkable compassion, Free the Children NAURU on Facebook shared reminders of the environmental state of the island.)

Hundreds of detention centre abuses go unreported (SMH, 5 June 2016) "Documents provided to Fairfax Media show that Comcare, which is responsible for the health and safety of all people in Australian government workplaces, including workers and detainees in mainland and offshore detention centres, has not investigated abuse and injuries on a vast scale."

Worker suspended over alleged asylum seeker assault amid detention centre veil of secrecy (SMH, 5 June 2016) "The Australian Border Force is refusing to release figures on the number of incidents in onshore detention referred to police over the past three years, including child sexual assault cases, nor will it say how many complaints led to a prosecution."

Public servants could face court over death of asylum seeker Hamid Khazaei: lawyers (SMH, 7 June 2016) Aw yiss.

PNG demands answers from Manus Island contractors ISOS after Hamid Khazaei's death (SMH, 6 June 2016) "The PNG government will suspend new medical licences for International SOS staff working on Manus Island amid an investigation into the death... PNG health minister Michael Malabag has accused the company of deliberately avoiding correspondence and refusing to assist investigations."

Wilson Security guards injured on Nauru, Manus Island not entitled to work cover (17 May, 2016)