The moral high ground: reflections on ethical dilemmas in unethical circumstances

In this paper we reflect on the challenges of maintaining traditional ethical standards in social health research with asylum seeker detainees. Researchers in this context who begin from a clear advocacy position can face various dilemmas in the research process. The need to demonstrate particular research outcomes that support an advocacy position has the potential to compromise the veracity of the research endeavor. We review the potential benefits and risks to researchers and asylum seekers in this area, and argue that such research must be faithful to the realities encountered, so that rigour is not compromised by the interests of advocacy and a researcher's own moral imperatives.