Foreign governments have called on Australia to scrap mandatory immigration detention, improve its treatment of Aborigines and recognise same-sex marriages.
Australian officials appeared before the United Nation’s Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday for what’s known as a universal periodic review.
All of the UN’s member countries are required to undergo a UPR – which aims to probe every aspect of a country’s human rights record – every four years.
About 50 countries – from the United States to Ghana – participated in Australia’s review, making almost 150 recommendations.
Several countries urged Australia to abolish its mandatory detention of asylum seekers.
Others expressed concerns urged increased efforts to overcome indigenous disadvantage and expressed concern about racism.
Countries made more than 25 recommendations relating to women’s rights, including equal pay and increased efforts to tackle domestic violence.
Norway specifically recommended Australia recognise same-sex marriages.
For the full article, click here
For AME’s media release on this, click here