ADD YOUR NAME

Update 26/08/2025: Over the past year, the Northern Territory has moved backwards on human rights.

We are alarmed: the Country Liberal Party (CLP) has lowered the age of criminal responsibility to 10, reintroduced spit hoods on children, children are being locked up in overcrowded youth detention centres and adult watch houses, and Aboriginal children continue to be disproportionately detained. 

Amnesty International warns that this ‘tough on youth crime’ approach violates human rights law and harms vulnerable children, while failing to make communities safer.

We are calling on the CLP to immediately raise the age of criminal responsibility, permanently ban the use of spit hoods, and ensure all youth justice policies adhere to human rights standards.

The last year has shown how far backwards the NT has gone — children cannot wait any longer.

Sign our petition now, and demand the government take immediate action to protect kids.

 

Sign the Petition

  Our Petition
 
 

Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro
Email: chief.minister@nt.gov.au

Dear Chief Minister and the Northern Territory Government, 

Right now, kids in the Territory are being locked up in prisons that are far too young at alarming rates. Young children don’t belong in prison cells. Putting kids in prison leads to compounding trauma and disadvantage, fractures families and communities, and removes children from their culture. Locking children in jail does not change their behaviour or make our communities safer.

There is an overwhelming amount of medical and psychological evidence showing that children’s brains are still developing, especially the parts that regulate judgement, decision-making, and impulse control. This means that children cannot foresee the consequences of their actions and cannot fully understand the criminal nature of their behaviour. Whether sentenced or unsentenced, children cannot navigate the full weight of their actions and do not belong in prison. 

The Northern Territory government has a responsibility to uphold the human rights of all Territorians, including the rights of the child to not be detained except in cases of absolute last resort and to not be subjected to practices of torture, such as spit hoods.

I’m calling on you to listen to all criminal, legal, medical, and child psychology experts, and to immediately raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14, in line with international standards. It is also critical for you to fund Indigenous-led diversion programs that address the root causes of trauma and disadvantage and uphold the principles of self-determination. These programs cost less than putting kids in jail and keep our communities safer in the long run.

Yours sincerely,

[Your name]