More than 160 asylum seekers sent to Nauru by the Australian government say they are going hungry. They are not allowed to work to support themselves. They receive just $230 every two weeks for food and supplies. Nauru’s justice secretary, Jay Udit, issued a notice in November forbidding asylum seekers from working. The notice states, “The law of Nauru does not allow a foreign person to work in Nauru unless he or she has a visa granted by the department of immigration to work. Any person who works without such a visa, commits an offence and is liable to be prosecuted or deported.” If caught working, allowances for living expenses may be cut or cancelled. The notice also warns Nauruan businesses not to hire asylum seekers. Since 2023, only eight people have been granted refugee status and allowed to apply for work. The refugee claim decision is supposed to take 60 days. But some asylum seekers have waited more than four months without answers. They say they are starving while they wait. One asylum seeker said, “We cannot survive on the $230 per fortnight allowance. The money is not enough because everything is expensive here – rice, fish, we cannot buy any fruit here, internet for $100 per month. How is it possible to survive?” Another said, “I can’t afford more than two meals a day and sometimes skip breakfast. Food is so expensive, vegetables and fruit it’s impossible for me to buy.” Food prices are high in Nauru. A bag of grapes can cost $20, and a quarter watermelon $24 in Australian dollars. A small box of cereal sells for $15. Some asylum seekers work illegally at petrol stations and on construction sites to survive. Yet they risk losing their stipend or deportation for breaking rules. They also live in fear of being sent back to their home countries with violence and persecution. One said, “If I go back to my country I can’t live because some people are waiting for me. If they find me they will kill me ... I want to live and I want to start my life again. I have a family. If I die, my family [will] also die with me. Please help me find safety.” Ogy Simic of the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre called the situation “unconscionable.” He said, “The measly allowance refugees receive on Nauru is so low that people cannot afford food or drinking water, and many have had no choice but to work to survive.” He stressed, “If Australia sends people to Nauru, then Australia must ensure they have the right to work, the means to survive and basic human dignity.” Both Australia and Nauru have signed the refugees convention, which forbids sending refugees back to danger. The UN human rights committee confirmed that Australia remains responsible for protecting asylum seekers it sends to Nauru.