‘I felt less human, not human at all’: Australia faces moral crossroads over Nauru

Australia violated the rights of asylum seekers arbitrarily detained on the island of Nauru, a UN watchdog ruled on Friday in a warning to other countries intent on outsourcing asylum processing. Composite: Getty Images

Aarash lost his youth to offshore processing. Sixteen when he was sent to Nauru, he says he cannot remember a single birthday in more than a decade.

“When I see younger ones that age, having fun, playing, going to school, it reminds me of everything I lost,” he says. “I felt less human, not human at all.”