The national shame of locking up 10 year olds

2026-02-01

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Australia likes to present itself as a defender of human rights. But right now, on the world stage, that reputation is being seriously questioned. Dozens of countries have called on Australia to stop locking up children, some as young as ten, and to confront the fact that Indigenous kids make up the overwhelming majority of those behind bars. For a nation that claims moral leadership on human rights, the scrutiny now facing Australia is deeply shameful and impossible to ignore. The tough-on-crime agendas of several state and territory...

Australia likes to present itself as a defender of human rights. But right now, on the world stage, that reputation is being seriously questioned.

Dozens of countries have called on Australia to stop locking up children, some as young as ten, and to confront the fact that Indigenous kids make up the overwhelming majority of those behind bars.

For a nation that claims moral leadership on human rights, the scrutiny now facing Australia is deeply shameful and impossible to ignore. The tough-on-crime agendas of several state and territory governments risk undermining Australia’s reputation when it comes to the way we treat our own children.

Today, CEO of Change the Record, Jade Lane, and CEO of the Human Rights Law Centre, Caitlin Reiger, on Australia’s standing on the world stage, and why so many Australian children call prison home.

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Guest: CEO of Change the Record, Jade Lane and CEO of the Human Rights Law Centre, Caitlin Reiger

Photo: ABC Indigenous

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