2 Feb 2017

Save the Children pleased with Nauru backdown

6:44 am on 2 February 2017

Save the Children says it welcomes an expression of regret from the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection to its nine staffers forced off Nauru in 2014.

The workers were falsely accused of fabricating claims of abuse and coaching self harm at the Australian run detention camps for asylum seekers.

The Australian Government has now compensated them and apologised.

Save the Children's director of policy and public affairs, Mat Tinkler, said the agency was very pleased that a challenging and very traumatic experience for the staff members has come to an end.

He said he hoped this would give them some degree of closure.

"You can imagine from their perspective - if you are a teacher or a child protection worker who's trained to support, educate and safeguard a child - to have allegations of this nature thrown at you, well, it is absurd and also very damaging to your integrity and your reputation," he said.

"So we hope by finally reaching a settlement agreement and issuing this statement that it brings some closure to these employees."

Nauru

Nauru Photo: AFP

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