The Australian Child Rights Taskforce

The National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children recognises children and young people as victims of gender-based violence in their own right. However, children and young people’s unique perspectives and experiences continue to be overlooked in policies, systems and services generally, and in the context of domestic, family and sexual violence specifically. I have recently made a detailed submission to the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Royal Commission included in this is Unseen and Unheard - a report detailing the common and individual stories of a small group of young South Australians who generously shared their personal experiences, concerns and ideas in relation to violence and the impact it has had on their lives. Eight young people generously provided details of their diverse personal experiences of what it is like to grow up in homes and situations that are physically and emotionally violent. They have also shared their ideas for what they think needs to change to better support them and others like them, who find themselves in similarly violent situations.  Systemic changes are required to bring about lasting change and these changes need to be informed by the voices of young people who have experienced violence. I ask you to honour their personal bravery in telling these difficult stories by reading them and reflecting on their insights. The most effective responses and best kind of support needed to eradicate domestic, family and sexual violence and its impact from our communities comes from those with direct experience. https://lnkd.in/gUKaJNbm

Every child in Queensland deserves to be safe.   Queensland’s Child Death Register shows 123 children have died in road crashes over the last 20 years.   We analysed this data as part of our child death prevention work and found concerning trends arounds the use of child seats and seatbelts in Queensland: 👉 one in four children who died were not using any type of restraint, including a capsule, car seat, booster or adult seatbelt 👉 a third of children who died in car crashes since Queensland’s child restraint legislation was strengthened in 2010 were not secured in a restraint compliant with Queensland’s road rules 👉 around 75% of children were not restrained in accordance with best practice for their age 👉 children living in remote and very remote parts of Queensland were over-represented in the data, with fatality rates around 2.5 times higher in these parts of Queensland.   Our analysis indicates there is a need for education campaigns to increase child seat and seatbelt use in Queensland, including improving access to affordable child restraints.   Road safety experts recommend children remain in their child restraint until their shoulders are above the maximum shoulder height markers, regardless of whether they are old enough to legally transition to a different seat type. They also recommend children younger than 13 be seated in a rear passenger seat. We can’t compromise on road safety when it comes to children. Easy-to-follow instructions on installing and using the right car restraint are available at: https://lnkd.in/gSDYEz6Q   Read our analysis about this data at: https://lnkd.in/datq3eZF

Great to see my 2021 call for a duty of care in Australia being pushed forward now into a reality by the Albanese Federal Government, with their announcement today. Back in 2021 I stated that: “There needs to be a clear duty of care, and companies need to be much more transparent. This needs to be coupled with a legislative framework that upholds and promotes the rights of children.” Source: https://lnkd.in/gBfHixdm My reactions today in AAP piece: https://lnkd.in/gUiKmPGw