A formal complaint against security group G4S that the treatment of asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea failed to meet international human rights standards has been made to the OECD.
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The complaint alleges the company, whose security guards were stationed at the Manus Island offshore processing centre until March, participated in some of the "worst" violence against asylum seekers when violence broke out in the centre in February, in which one asylum seeker was killed and at least 60 others injured.
Two staff members in the centre, one from G4S, have since been arrested by Papua New Guinea police for the murder of 21-year-old asylum seeker Reza Barati.
"G4S' locally-employed security guards participated in some of the worst violence against asylum seekers," said Rachel Ball, Director of Advocacy and Campaigns.
"In addition to the violence, the regime of indefinite, arbitrary detention on Manus is itself a violation of international human rights law and conditions under G4S' watch were consistently reported to be cruel and inhumane."
The complaint, which has been issued by the Human Rights Law Centre and a British NGO Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID), was made under the Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development's Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
Executive director of RAID Patricia Feeney said in a statement that companies do not operate in a human rights vacuum.
"G4S Australia and its parent company in the UK have a responsibility under the OECD guidelines not to cause or contribute to human rights violations. G4S cannot evade responsibility simply because those violations are sanctioned by the Australian government," said Ms Feeney.
The guidelines are a set of government-backed standards for responsible business conduct.
A spokesman for G4S said the company had received the complaint on Tuesday morning and is still considering the details.
"However, G4S is confident it has complied with all of its human rights and legal obligations," it said in a statement.
"It should be noted that the Human Rights Law Centre's complaints refer largely to the policy of offshore detention and to matters over which G4S had no direct control."
G4S security staff were replaced in the centre in April by Transfield Services, which also manages the detention centre in Nauru.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott is also expected to be challenged over the treatment of asylum seekers in New York this week by a live street art installation organised by activist group GetUp! and United States group Berim.org at the United Nations headquarters.
The installation - a three dimensional street art piece - will coincide with Prime Minister Abbott's attendance at the UN General Assembly meeting.
"Australia's current treatment of asylum seekers is our nation's shame. We want the world to know the people of Australia are better and more compassionate than this," GetUp!'s Erin McCallum said.