20 Aug 2018

Resignation syndrome afflicting Nauru refugee child

From , 5:03 am on 20 August 2018

A refugee child suffering from a rare condition known as resignation syndrome has been transfered from Nauru to Australia for medical treatment.

The 14 year-old is one of 14 refugee children moved from Nauru for urgent medical care since December, following legal challenges that the Australian government opposed in every instance.

Ben Robinson Drawbridge spoke with psychiatry professor Louise Newman from the University of Melbourne, who says resignation syndrome often afflicts refugee children.

Louise Newman.

Louise Newman. Photo: University of Melbourne