Vicki Mau, Executive Director of 54 reasons, which delivers Save the Children's services in Australia, said that the Victorian government's proposed changes to youth justice laws, including the move to treat underage offenders as adults would be ineffective and a clear violation of child rights.
"The proposal to treat children as young as 14 years old as adults in Victoria's justice system is bitterly disappointing. It goes against all available evidence about the best way to reduce children's contact with the system. To claim that locking up kids potentially for life keeps the community safe is nothing more than a smokescreen," Ms Mau said.
"Time and time again human rights, medical and legal experts have told politicians that what will make communities safer is investing in and prioritising early intervention measures that address the root causes of offending, and yet Victoria is ignoring that advice and regrettably following the path of other states and territories in pursuing punitive measures rather than evidence-backed responses to youth justice.
"We understand the genuine concerns about community safety, everyone deserves to feel safe and be safe in their homes and neighbourhoods, including children and young people themselves. However, while locking a child away might feel like action, it doesn't actually fix the problem. It just delays it, making it likely to reappear another day.
"Tough on crime policies, drafted based on fear, serve no one - not the children who will be condemned into cycling in and out of the justice system, and not the families or communities who are calling for change. Locking up kids doesn't make communities safer, but addressing the reasons they offend does.
"The bottom line is that children's rights are non-negotiable; you cannot pick and choose when to uphold them and when to violate them. And this latest proposal by the Victorian government would clearly violate those rights. When children's rights are upheld, the whole community benefits."
