Our kids deserve to thrive, not be caged in police watch houses and prison cells.

I am a Gunggari person and it breaks my heart to see what our babies and their families are being subject to as a result of discriminatory and punitive ‘youth justice’ policies sweeping the country. These laws that governments are introducing across the country are not only cruel, but are violating the human rights of First Nations children across Australia.

The Human Rights Law Centre has supported Associate Professor Hannah McGlade to submit an urgent action complaint to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The complaint calls on the Committee to hold Australia accountable and to take action to protect our children and communities. It documents Australian federal, state and territory governments’ significant and escalating racial discrimination and human rights violations against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children including:

•  draconian laws and policies in all states and territories fuelling a mass incarceration crisis;

• ongoing cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of children including the use of spit hoods, solitary confinement and strip searching; and

• persistent government inaction on independent recommendations for reform.

Governments could be taking positive steps for law reform, supporting children and our families to keep kids in our communities, but instead they are making punitive and reactive decisions that will see huge increases in the number of First Nations kids behind bars.

For decades, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have implored governments to take real action on reducing the number of our children behind bars.

Our communities have the solutions to care for and support our children. Instead of funnelling Aboriginal children into prisons; governments can and should invest in self-determined solutions.

Together with communities, we stand united in fighting back against racist laws and policies.