AMELIA: This is Misbah. She's 13.
And her friend Shamin, who's 17.
Both fled their home country in South-East Asia
when it became too dangerous for them.
In Burma, the Muslim people and Buddhist people are fighting.
And the Buddhist people doesn't want Muslim people to stay in Burma.
That's why they doesn't like us so they killed...
..they kill mostly the Muslim people.
That's why the girls, along with some of their family members,
got on boats run by illegal people smugglers, and headed for Australia.
On the boat, it was so dangerous.
And, you know, even my little sister, she was crying.
She was like, "Oh, I'm so scared of this swimming pool."
She thought that was a swimming pool.
My mum was crying too.
But when we get to Christmas Island, we were so happy that we are here,
we are safe.
And we...
I was thinking that I would get to meet my father again.
They arrived at Christmas Island, which is an Australian territory
a long way off the coast of Western Australia.
There they applied for asylum,
which means they asked for a safe place to live.
The Australian government puts all asylum seekers in detention
while it works out if they are in genuine need of protection.
For asylum seekers that arrive by boat,
that usually means being placed in a detention or processing centre
far away from Australia.
These centres are paid for and run by the Australian government
and the people sent to live in them can be there for anywhere
between a few months and a few years.
But Misbah and Shamin didn't stay on Christmas Island for long.
When they told us about you're going to Nauru.
And then, I was like, "Oh, we're going to Norway, it's so good.
"Like, Norway is so beautiful. Mum, Granny, why are you crying?"
"We are going to Norway."
But Nauru is a long way from Norway.
It's a tiny remote island just 6Ks long, 4Ks wide
and one of the poorest countries on Earth.
Misbah and Shamin say life wasn't easy in detention here.
Everyone lived in tents in really hot conditions.
And kids were called by their boat numbers, not their names.
Charity workers here say the kids became really sad.
WOMAN: You could see the light drain out of their eyes.
You could see them go flat.
Sadly, you know, students would come in
and I just remember one particular girl lying in the beanbag
and just weeping for three hours.
While in detention, the kids on Nauru still get to go to school.
At first, they attended a school at the centre.
But one day, the government closed that school
and sent all the kids to a Nauruan one instead.
Misbah and Shamin say
the Nauruan kids and teachers didn't want them there
and they experienced some really bad things.
I really wanted to learn.
I really wanted to be an educated person
so I always try my best to go to school.
But I did try in here.
I did try my really, really best to go to school
but I don't feel safe in there.
Shamin and Misbah were eventually found to be refugees
in need of a safe place to live.
But instead of getting to come to Australia,
they were settled on Nauru.
Australia's government says all asylum seekers on Nauru
will be settled there if found to be refugees.
And when that happens, it's up to the Nauruan government
to look after them and keep them safe.
On Nauru, refugees are free to move round the island,
but some say they don't feel safe there.
It's also really hard for them to move somewhere else.
I asked my mum then, "Let's go back,"
but she said, "No, it's not possible.
"If we go back, we'll get killed."
For Shamin and Misbah, the future is uncertain,
but for now, they say they just want the chance to be kids.
I don't care what country it is but I just want to study good
and have a good time, and healthy and safety and happy.
I just want to be the same person like everyone.