New laws have been introduced in the Northern Territory (NT) that will allow children as young as 10 years of age to be jailed.
It is special to take this decision at a time when other developed countries of the world and the United Nations advise the Australian states and territories to raise the age limit for child criminals from 10 to 14 years.
Last year, the age of child offenders in the Northern Territory (NT) was raised to 12 years, and the new government elected in August has announced that tough decisions must be taken to reduce youth crime rates.
Doctors, human rights organizations and indigenous groups have also raised criticism, and the government says lowering the age of crime to 10 will protect children.
However, they point out that the new laws will not reduce crime and will unfairly affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The Northern Territory (NT) imprisons children at a rate 11 times higher than any other jurisdiction in the country, and many of them are Aboriginal.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said his government had received a mandate after the election victory to organize programs to reduce youth crime through the change.
However, research globally and in Australia has identified that incarcerating children makes them more likely to return to crime and often has severe effects on their health, education and employment.
