Help us amplify vital stories and drive change in underreported crises.

Support our work.

Human Rights
In the news
19 February 2024

Diego Garcia asylum seekers face arbitrary detention: UN inspectors

Tamil asylum seekers awaiting to be relocated to a third country from a remote British territory in the Indian Ocean have alleged sexual harassment and abuse, according to a draft report from the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, which sent a team of inspectors to Diego Garcia in November. All of the alleged perpetrators were other asylum seekers. The report also pointed to a general deterioration of mental health in the camp, along with poor living conditions that amount to arbitrary detention. Since September 2022, The New Humanitarian has published a series of exclusive reports about asylum seekers in the camp, which is fenced off within the joint US-UK military base on the island. In March 2023, we reported on how five who had attempted suicide on Diego Garcia were sent to Rwanda for medical treatment. Three have since asked to be relocated, claiming that abuses continued there and that the UK is still failing to protect them.

A protestor holds a placard that reads: Rwanda Policy Must be Stopped. He is standing outside the Supreme Court in London where the UK Government's Rwanda asylum policy was judged to be unlawful.

Asylum seekers sent by UK to Rwanda report sexual abuse and harassment

Sent for medical reasons, the three Tamils say they avoid going for treatment because the UK has failed to protect them, even in hospital.

Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.