Immigration Official Denies Nauru Child Rape Report, Says It's 'Not What It Seems'

The highest official in the island country of Nauru has declared that the controversial alleged rape victim was not raped. 

Updates on the alleged raped boy in Nauru are surging in, with immigration department officials in the country stating that the child was over 10 years old, and not 5 years old as initially reported. Other than the announcement that the child suffered merely from "skin-to-skin" contact," the Department of Immigration and Border Protection secretary stated that "moral lecturing" will not aid the matter in any way.

Last week, ABC reported that the child could be returned to the detention center where he was allegedly attacked. Karen Zwi, a pediatrician, stated that the alleged victim suffered mental health issues after the said assault.

Michael Pezzullo, Department of Immigration and Border Protection secretary, commented on the media reports regarding the matter. Pezzullo said that the reports have been "misleading."

"It's getting to the point that there is advocacy parading as journalism that is actually deleterious to a sensible discussion about these matters," said Pezzullo, in a report by ABC.

Aside from commenting on the related reportage on the matter, the secretary expressed his disbelief to claims of sexual abuse in offshore detention centers, saying that some cases are "not what it seems."

The alleged victim could be sent back to Nauru, BBC reports. The child could be together with the 267 asylum seekers. State leaders have exposed themselves to support asylum seekers as they push the Federal Government to grant amnesty. However, Pezzullo has commented saying that "moral lecturing" is counter productive and actually "unhelpful."

"No amount of moral lecturing by those who seem not to comprehend the negative consequences of an open-borders policy will bring forth solutions. Yielding to emotional gestures in this area of public administration simply reduces the margin for discretionary action," said Pezzullo, in a report by BBC.

Tags

Nauru, child rape, report, denied, Offshore detention center, asylum, seekers

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