Anglicare NT implores NT government

Anglicare NT is imploring the NT government to please listen to evidence about lowering the age of criminal responsibility. We urge our leaders to reconsider their plan to alter legislation and instead focus money and resources on the causes and solutions of crime.

Our stance is guided by evidence such as the recent report from the Office of the Children’s Commissioner NT called Our Most Vulnerable Children Bearing the Consequences of a Failed System.

The report focuses on the needs of children aged 10-13 in NT youth detention in 2022/23, and paints a grim picture of the lives of children before and after detention.

Key findings from the report:
• All children had significant and ongoing contact with Child Protection with one child the subject of 70 child harm notifications
• 94% of these children had been exposed to domestic and/or family violence
• 77% of children had identified mental health needs or cognitive disability
• 47% of children with multiple diagnosis of cognitive disabilities
• Most children had poor school engagement by year 6 with almost half achieving 40% attendance rate
• 16 out of 17 children went on to return to detention in 2022-23
• 3 children went on to have over 20 detention admissions in 2023-24

Check out the full report 👇🏼

https://occ.nt.gov.au/resources/occ-publications/other-reports