October 17, 2024 – 7:48 pm
10-year-olds will soon be able to sue again in Australia's Northern Territory after the age of criminal responsibility was lowered.
A According to the BBC Australian regional governments have been under great pressure for years to set the age of criminal responsibility at 14, as is the custom in developed countries, because in many places they remain owing the move to this day. In 2023, the Northern Territory was the first of the states and territories to decide not to imprison anyone under the age of 12, but the province's Liberal Party, which came to power in August, restored the previous minimum age.
According to the party's campaign promise to crack down on crime, the minimum age will protect children, doctors and doctors from crime. Human rights activists But indigenous organizations disagree with this interpretation. Critics point out that decriminalization does not go hand in hand with reducing crime, and also disproportionately affects Indigenous people, who have their own proven methods of organizing rebellious children.
Federal government data according to In June 2023, just over 800 children aged 10 and over were in lockdown. Courts in the Northern Territory put 11 times more children behind bars than in other states and territories (some of Australia's larger administrative units have 'state' status, others have 'territory' status). Most imprisoned children come from indigenous tribes.
