Outrage has spread across social media with the hashtag #raisetheage, following major concerns over the age of children being arrested.
Human rights groups and Indigenous activists are calling for state and territory leaders to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14.
This follows an entire 12 months after the decision was originally deferred by the government.
The decision was overturned by the state and attorneys-generals in particular, due to a need for “more time to explore alternatives to incarceration”, according to a report from SBS.
Australian communities are now expressing their frustration as no progress seems to have been made since.
NSW is one of the jurisdictions yet to initiate the change. Queensland, meanwhile, has rejected the move altogether.
The NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman said that: “any reform in this area would need to be in the best interests of the community, with the safety of the community a key consideration. This includes the need for adequate processes and services for children who exhibit offending behaviour.”
This is #MeAtTen. In 2020, 499 children aged between 10 and 13 were imprisoned. At least 65% of them are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children. 68% of all children in detention were on remand, meaning they were yet to be convicted of any crime.” It’s times to #RaiseTheAge pic.twitter.com/BeINQHTYut
— Kon Karapanagiotidis (@Kon__K) July 27, 2021
We find Speakman’s objection a little puzzling, considering that the hashtag is now being used in the thousands daily.
Clearly, there is a strong plea from communities to make the change.
Currently, there are around 500 children as young as 10 being locked up across the country. Two-thirds are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
Overall, almost 800 children between the age of 10 and 17 were in detention centres across the country, during the first quarter of 2020.
Little me at 10 years old, obsessed with astronomy, dolphins, and an aspiring Marine Biologist!
Still today, about 500 children as young as 10 are locked up in prisons across the country.
Two thirds are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. #RaiseTheAge pic.twitter.com/l6uMERSybW
— Madeline Hayman-Reber (@MadelineHayman) July 27, 2021
Of these, 48 per cent were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, while only 6 per cent of the population fits this bracket.
These skewed incarceration rates were a point of protest during the worldwide Black Lives Matter movement last year, and it is disappointing to see that it is no different across the younger generation.
To put things into perspective, Facebook won’t even let children use Facebook until they are 13 years of age!
According to SBS, the Australian capital will be “drafting new legislation once a discussion paper seeking community feedback closes on 5 August.”
#raisetheage
