The Australian Government is also likely to come under heavy fire for its cruel treatment of refugee children.

Australian Government policy is to send anyone seeking asylum who arrives in Australia by boat to a cruel limbo in an offshore camp where they can be held indefinitely. The Government also separates families in a range of ways with traumatic consequences for children.

“Our government has robbed so many children of their childhoods. Our refugee policies are deliberately punitive, they seek to hurt innocent children as a way to deter other people from seeking safety in Australia. It’s completely unacceptable, yet without significant reform this is the fate that still awaits the next child who arrives on our shores seeking safety,” said Ms Musk.

Background to the CROC review

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is an international human rights agreement adopted in 1989 by the UN General Assembly. It sets out the rights for children, taking into account their need for special assistance and protection due to their status and vulnerability. In ratifying the agreement, Australia accepted responsibility to take all steps to protect, respect and fulfil children’s rights in Australia. As part of this framework, a Committee – a panel of experts on child rights – monitors implementation, and reviews compliance with the Convention. Australia was last reviewed in 2012.

The Report, Justice for Children, that the Human Rights Law Centre submitted to the committee in November 2018 can be downloaded here.

For further information, please contact:

Shahleena Musk (in Geneva) on +41 76 290 62 90

or Tom Clarke (in Melbourne) on 0422 545 763 or tom.clarke@hrlc.org.au