More than 128,000 community members, lawyers, and advocates from NSW and Victoria have called for the age of legal responsibility to be raised to at least 14, and for an end to arresting, handcuffing, strip-searching and jailing children as young as 10.
“The verdict from medical, legal and child development experts is clear: criminalising children causes lifelong harm,” said Jonathon Hunyor, CEO of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre.