The strip-search of a 13-year-old Aboriginal girl who was held in custody for allegedly breaking a curfew has been criticised by her family and Indigenous advocates.

Key points: 13yo teenage girl stripped of clothes while held overnight

13yo teenage girl stripped of clothes while held overnight Girl's grandmother describes it as a "violation of human rights"

Girl's grandmother describes it as a "violation of human rights" Authorities say procedures for minors were followed

The minor was arrested and detained at the Hobart Police Station on Wednesday night.

As part of procedures the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was then stripped of her clothes and held in custody overnight before appearing at the Hobart Magistrates Court on Thursday morning.

The girl's grandmother said she had initially refused a police request to "remove her underpants" but then did so and the teenager was given a hospital-like gown to wear overnight.

The grandmother said she did not believe it was appropriate for minors to be stripped of clothing while in custody, adding that she thought children charged with minor offences should not be held for more than a few hours.

"It traumatised her very badly, it's a violation of their human rights," she said.

Tasmania's Aboriginal Land Council chairman, Michael Mansell, said the teenager has since been released from custody, but the experience caused her unnecessary grief.

Mr Mansell said Aboriginal children were being unfairly detained in Tasmania and this particular incident "really is a bad reflection on the relationship between police and Aboriginal people".

He believes the 13-year-old should not have been strip-searched.

"She was very understandably traumatised by the whole incident," he said.

He also said many Aboriginal Tasmanians felt they could not access appropriate legal assistance.

"There's a general lack of confidence in the Aboriginal community in Tasmania at the current state of affairs of Aboriginal legal aid," he said.

Procedures for minors followed: police

In a statement, Tasmania Police said it takes all youth in custody matters seriously.

"All legislative and procedural protocols were followed with regards to the youth's detention," police said, adding it had "acted on information supplied by the court".

The Department of Justice said in a statement "all people who are taken into custody are strip-searched" and "in this instance, all procedures for the strip-search of a minor were followed".

The girl's family is meeting with a lawyer next week to discuss legal options.

Rodney Dillon wants to raise the age of criminal responsibility for children from 10 to 14. ( ABC News )

According to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre (TAC), of the 660 adults in custody in Tasmania, 121 people identify as Indigenous.

TAC head Heather Sculthorpe said the Ashley Youth Detention Centre had a recent period of no Aboriginal children but that had changed.

"There has been a recent increase; three or four at any one time is more normal at present," she said.

Amnesty International's Indigenous advisor, Rodney Dillon, said the younger Aboriginal children were detained, the more likely they were to engage in criminal activity as adults.

He supports a push to raise the age of criminal responsibility for children from 10 to 14.

"If we're putting kids through that system, we're creating criminals out of kids," he said.

"If kids are in trouble we need to be there to help them."