Responding to the violent arrest of an Indigenous boy in NSW this week, Amnesty International Australia Indigenous Rights Advisor, Rodney Dillon, said:
“Sadly, this latest incident is an example of a long history of violence and discrimination leveled at Indigenous people by police all over the country since colonisation. There have been more than 400 Indigenous deaths in custody since 1991 – judging from the behaviour of police such as in this situation, it is no wonder why.
“The response from the NSW Police Minister also shows an alarming misunderstanding of the experience of Indigenous people who live with this discrimination and ingrained racism every day of their lives.
“There needs to be an independent body that investigates these incidents and a fundamental overhaul of our approach to justice in this country, specifically how it’s applied to Indigenous people.
“The most simple and effective way to begin this change is to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 and give kids a chance for a healthy and happy life free of the criminal justice system.”
