CEO message: Human rights at the forefront of CMY’s work
In Victoria
Human rights has been at the forefront of CMY’s work ever since its inception more than 35 years ago. Our focus recently has been to work with our sector and other partners in the state of Victoria to advocate for laws which ensure a fair and safe youth justice system for all young people.
In August the Parliament of Victoria considered a Youth Justice Bill that, among a range of other measures, proposed raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12. CMY has welcomed the decision of the Parliament to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 12 as an important first step, but we will continue to work towards increasing the minimum age to 14, consistent with the declaration of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.
In Australia
At a national level, we are pleased that the Senate has established an Inquiry into Australia’s youth justice and incarceration system, to be conducted by the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee. It is expected that this Senate Inquiry will report by 26 November 2024 on the following:
a) the outcomes and impacts of youth incarceration in jurisdictions across Australia;
b) the over-incarceration of First Nations children;
c) the degree of compliance and non-compliance by state, territory and federal prisons and detention centres with the human rights of children and young people in detention;
d) the Commonwealth’s international obligations in regards to youth justice including the rights of the child, freedom from torture and civil rights;
e) the benefits and need for enforceable national minimum standards for youth;
f) justice consistent with our international obligations; and
g) any related matters.
We encourage you to participate and advocate for improvements and development of a nationally coherent and consistent youth justice system. Individuals and organisations can make a submission to the Inquiry here.
Internationally
At CMY we share the community’s concerns around an escalation in the conflict in Gaza and the Middle East and our organisation has put out a new statement to add our voice to the international calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. You can read our statement in full here.
Carmel Guerra OAM
CEO CMY