AUSSIEINSIDER

This particular commission came about when CCTV footage of child abuse and torture at NT's Don Dale Detention Center was leaked to the media. Had the video footage never been leaked, nobody would have a clue what standards our government has set for the adult incarceration of children as young as 10. Wait... why are we jailing children, again?

The Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in NT sparked a national media-watch, ultimately revealing similar practices in QLD and VIC (so far). The Victorian Supreme Court and Court of Appeal recently ruled the incarceration of children at adult facilities unlawful, however this ruling changes depending on the state. Shouldn't we have a minimum national standard such as that provided by our UN treaties?

In November 1989, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). It is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world, to which Australia is a party to. The UN human rights committee holds regular reviews into member nations' adherence to the CRC, where Australia has consistently failed to meet its obligations. Are we as proud of this track-record as our government?

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Article 37 (a) provides: No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offences committed by persons below eighteen years of age. Should we follow Britain's lead and drop out of the UN so we can torture children more freely?

Promoting negative behaviour by using excessive force, torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment only serves to perpetuate negative behaviour in children. This model institutionalizes re-offending and only benefits those who profit from incarceration facilities. Positive behavior support, on the other hand, is a behavior management system used by educators to promote beneficial behavioural outcomes. Does this model better serve the communities that child offenders are eventually released back into?