The Issue

As covered in The Australian on 3 August 2026 - Jawad needs your help.

Jawad Rasul is a vulnerable victim of institutional child sexual abuse who is now facing forced deportation to Nauru by the Australian Government. Instead of receiving protection, his traumatic history of abuse was systematically ignored, resulting in an unjust criminal conviction. We need your signature today to demand that the Minister for Home Affairs intervene, stop his removal, and grant him safety.

Background: A Child Refugee Left Unprotected

Jawad arrived in Australia alone as a 16-year-old unaccompanied refugee, fleeing severe ethnic persecution as a member of an Afghan minority group. Tragically, just two weeks after his arrival, his mother passed away, leaving him an orphan.

By law, his official legal guardian was the Minister for Home Affairs, and his daily care was delegated to state-funded group homes. Instead of finding sanctuary, Jawad was left entirely vulnerable.

The System Failed Him: Unchecked Grooming & Abuse

While living under state care, a female staff member from his same language and minority group took a special interest in him. As Jawad began experiencing severe trauma-induced seizures, this worker manipulated and groomed him, eventually subjecting him to alleged sexual abuse and a secret religious marriage ceremony.

Despite multiple institutional organisations documenting severe red flags, system providers took zero action to protect him:

• Unauthorized Interstate Relocation: The staff member moved Jawad interstate and enrolled him in a new school without required permission.
• Failure to Return: She kept him away from his assigned group home after school holidays ended.
• Refused Welfare Checks: She explicitly blocked home visits designed to evaluate Jawad's safety and sleeping arrangements.
   

The Injustice: Silenced by the System

When Jawad finally attempted to report the horrific abuse to the police, the alleged perpetrator pre-emptively accused him of sexual abuse instead.

During Jawad’s subsequent legal trial, a devastating information vacuum occurred: critical evidence regarding their prior relationship, her role as his institutional carer, and the grooming process was ruled legally inadmissible. Denied a transparent defence, a fractured majority jury verdict ultimately found him guilty.

Now, the Australian Government is using this criminal record to justify sending him to Nauru, a move that will completely destroy his mental health and permanently cut him off from safety.

How Your Signature Helps

Jawad has been disbelieved, exploited, and silenced for over a decade. We cannot let the system hide its own failures by deporting a victim of institutional child abuse.

By signing this petition, you are joining thousands of voices demanding that the Australian Government fulfills its duty of care. We demand that the Minister for Home Affairs uses his intervention powers to immediately halt Jawad's removal to Nauru and allow him to remain safely in Australia.