The Australian army not only committed horrific crimes in the Afghan war, but also became the target of public criticism at the questioning meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council held on the 20th.
According to an Australian Broadcasting Corporation report on the 21st, 31 countries, including Canada, Germany, France and Italy, raised the issue of Australia’s low age of criminal responsibility, urging Australia to raise the age of criminal responsibility from the current 10 to 14.
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child recommended that the minimum age of criminal responsibility be 14 years, but Australia postponed the decision to raise the age to 14 last July.
According to the BBC, compared with many countries, Australia’s criminal responsibility age is low, and Aboriginal people are greatly affected. Andrew Walter, the head of the Australian delegation, also acknowledged this on the 20th.
According to data, although only 6% of Australian teenagers aged 10 to 17 are indigenous, this group accounts for about 57% of juvenile detention centers.
Among the incarcerated adolescents between the ages of 10 and 13, the proportion of Aboriginal people rose to 78%.
“The 10-year-olds being sent to prison, and primarily Aboriginal children, are not only contrary to the UN’s recommendations, but are morally wrong,” said Nolan Hunter, head of Aboriginal rights in Australia.
In addition, many countries have expressed concern about Australia’s border policy, including offshore handling and refusing to resettle people arriving by boat.
The representative of China also submitted five recommendations to Australia, such as a comprehensive and thorough investigation and accountability of Australian soldiers for war crimes committed in overseas military operations.
