With Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children accounting for 70% of children incarcerated, a team of both Indigenous organisations and human rights experts launch #RaiseTheAge, with the aim of changing the law surrounding age of arrest and responsiblity.
Across Australia, in only one year, a staggering number of children between the ages of 10 and 13 were launched through the legal system, totalling to nearly 600.
According to the #RaiseTheAge website, “across Australia, children as young as 10 can be arrested by police, charged with an offence, hauled before a court and locked away in youth prisons.”
Among those incarcerated, a shocking 70% of the children were either of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, marking a massive disproportionate amount.
Shahleena Musk, the Senior Lawyer with the Human Rights Law Centre points out, the Australian government should take accountability for the massive discrimination that is placed on Aboriginal children by ensuring that they “are kept out of this cruel, broken system in the first place.
“Children need care, love and support so they can reach their full potential. Not handcuffs and bars. Too often Aboriginal children are ripped from their homes, their families and community because of unjust laws and policies. Closing the gap on Indigenous justice outcomes must start with closing off prisons and police cells for children.”
Why so young? The current laws at hand place the age of legal responsibility at only 10 years of age, which is even below the age that many experts suggest for parents to leave their kids home alone. Even in Queensland, children aren’t allowed to be home alone until the age of 12.
In less than two weeks, on July 27th, Australian lawmakers will be met with an opportunity to to challenge this law at the Council of Attorneys-General Meeting, where they will share their #RaiseTheAge movement in hopes that they can have the age of responsibility raised from 10 to 14.
As Associate Professor Kris Rallah-Baker, President of the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association shares, “all Australian children deserve to grow up in safe and fair environments,” where for both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, “this includes having strong connections to family, culture and Country.
“Locking up Indigenous kids is traumatising and severely impacts their health and wellbeing. It is time to end the cycle of disadvantage by properly supporting communities and addressing laws and practices that unfairly impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids.”
For ways to help out with the #RaiseTheAge campaign, you can visit their website to learn about child incarceration, and sign their current petition.
