Hollywood star and U.N. special envoy for refugees Angelina Jolie has been invited to the Pacific Island nation of Nauru, where hundreds of asylum seekers live in immigration detention centers.

Guardian Australia reported the invitation came from Nauru President Baron Waqa when he met Jolie at a London summit to end sexual violence in conflict.

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While a Nauruan government spokesperson announced Jolie has accepted the offer, Guardian Australia clarified there has been no official confirmation that the "Lara Croft (The Tomb Raider)" star will travel to Nauru on Waqa's invitation.

More than 1,000 asylum seekers and refugees are held in Australian-funded detention facilities in Nauru. Australian journalists investigating living conditions of the refugees have reported various forms of abuse, including one incident in June in which a male teenager was sexually assaulted by cleaning staff in one center.

The Australian government has moved hundreds of asylum seekers to Nauru, ignoring warnings from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to halt the transfer. 

In November, a UNHCR inspection team said the state of facilities and treatment of refugees in Nauru raised "serious issues" about compliance with international human rights law. It said that one center exposed children and families to "cramped conditions with very little privacy in very hot conditions, with some asylum seekers sleeping on mattresses on the ground."

However, the Nauru government seems to think otherwise. In a statement on its invitation to Jolie, the Nauru government said it will be a "wonderful opportunity" to show the international community that refugee facilities on Nauru are "world's best practice." 

Journalists say although it is unlikely that Jolie will take up Nauru's offer, the actress should reconsider so she can see for herself the refugees' ordeal. 

Nauru has made it difficult for journalists to visit the country, according to Guardian Australia. Following a forty-fold increase in visa application fees a few months ago, reporters now have to pay AUS$8,000 each to secure a Nauruan visa.

TagsUNCHR, Australian refugee policy, Angelina Jolie