In December 2020, Amnesty International Australia wrote to Foreign Minister Marise Payne, asking her to pressure the Hungarian government to drop its plans to ban LGBTQI people from adopting children. Amnesty International is concerned that the (now adopted) measures would further undermine the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people, including right […]
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has the opportunity to lead on human rights concerns by raising them with leaders at the G20 Summit under Saudi Arabia’s presidency, which will be held virtually. Amnesty and the Gulf Institute for Democracy and Human Rights (GIDHR) have also written to the Saudi ambassador to Australia, Messaad Ibraham al-Sulaim, […]
The LNP in Queensland proposing a curfew on children in Far North Queensland is extremely concerning and potentially breaches international law. Amnesty International Australia campaigner Joel Mackay said: “The evidence is clear: tough on crime is not solving the issue of youth offending. The LNP seems not to be listening to the experts or reviewing […]
The Australian Capital Territory’s Legislative Assembly has voted to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14, paving the way for other jurisdictions to reform an outmoded law which disproportionately affects Indigenous kids. Amnesty International Australia campaigner, Joel Clark said: “Amnesty congratulates the ACT on showing the other states and territories that raising […]
The Australian Capital Territory’s Legislative Assembly has an historic opportunity to make real, systemic change and lead the way on youth justice reform by raising the age of criminal responsibility. The Councils of Attorneys-General last month voted to effectively delay raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 until 2021. The ACT Legislative […]
The Councils of Attorneys-General (CAG), which is due to meet in July, has a unique opportunity to give hundreds of Indigenous kids back their childhoods, according to Amnesty International Australia’s new report, Raise the Age: Kids Belong in Community. The report finds that although the overall number of children in detention has fallen, this is […]
Northern Territory Police must stop the practice of transporting children in remand and detention in so-called “Police cages” – a ute with a cage on the tray covered with a tarpaulin. Amnesty International Australia has received and investigated numerous reports of children being transported, unrestrained, in these cages for journeys of up to five hours. […]
The Indonesian authorities must immediately release seven peaceful activists who raised a flag banned by the government of Indonesia, Amnesty International said today. The activists, belonging to the separatist Republic of South Maluku (RMS) movement, were conducting a peaceful hoisting of the ‘Benang Raja‘ flag when they were arrested by Indonesian police on 25 April, […]
Amnesty International Australia has used the opportunity to repeat its strong opinion that the age of criminal responsibility should be raise in Australia. Across Australia, the minimum age of criminal responsibility is 10. This means that children as young as 10 are arrested by police, locked up in police cells, hauled before courts and sent […]
Amnesty International Australia and Indonesian human rights lawyer Veronica Koman urge the Australian government to raise the human rights situation in West Papua during bilateral talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo this week. Fifty-six indigenous West Papuans and one Jakarta-based Indonesian are currently held behind bars for treason in seven cities across Indonesia. They are […]