Amnesty: A Brighter Tomorrow - Indigenous Kids
What was at stake
Documented crisis in Indigenous youth detention. Mapped 10x overrepresentation pathway from welfare to justice system.
What happened
Amnesty International Australia documented the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people caught in the child welfare and criminal justice systems. The report drew on case studies and data showing that Indigenous children were being removed from families at disproportionate rates, placed in out-of-home care without adequate support, and subsequently funnelled into youth detention facilities across Australia. Many of these children had experienced trauma, poverty, and systemic neglect, and faced mandatory sentencing regimes and detention conditions that Amnesty characterised as cruel and counterproductive.
What the court decided
Recommended justice reinvestment, raising age to 14, end mandatory sentencing for children, Aboriginal-controlled programs.
Categories
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