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Face the facts:CHILDREN’S RIGHTS • 2014
The Australian Human Rights Commission encourages the dissemination and exchange of information provided in this publication.
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• the Australian Human Rights Commission Logo• photographs and images• any content or material provided by third parties.
The details of the relevant licence conditions are available on the Creative Commons website, as is the full legal code for the CC BY 3.0 AU licence.
Attribution
Material obtained from this publication is to be attributed to the Australian Human Rights Commission with the following copyright notice:
© Australian Human Rights Commission 2014.
Face the Facts: Children’s rights • 2014
ISBN 978-1-921449-67-3
Design and layout Dancingirl DesignsInfographic Design Firefly InteractiveContent James Iliffe, Black and White Media Australia
Electronic format
This publication can be found in electronic format on the website of the Australian Human Rights Commission: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications
Contact details
For further information about the Australian Human Rights Commission, please visit www.humanrights.gov.au or email [email protected].
You can also write to:
Communications Team Australian Human Rights Commission GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001
Face the Facts: Children’s rights • 2014 • 1
www.humanrights.gov.au/face-facts
2
Children’s rightsKey issues for children and their rights
• AcrossAustraliaduring2011-2012,37,781childrenaged0to17yearswerethesubjectofoneormoresubstantiationsofabuseorneglect–an18percentincreasefrom2007-2008.10
• Childrenoftenexperienceviolencewithinthefamily.In 2010-2011,39percentofhospitalisedcasesinvolvingassaultagainstchildrenaged0to14yearsinvolvedaperpetratorwhowasaparent,carerorotherfamilymember.11Around42percentofAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderchildrenreportedwitnessingviolenceagainsttheirmotherorstepmother,comparedwith23percentofallchildren.12
• Around6700childrenaged0to14years–or157inevery100,000children–werethereportedvictimsofsexualassault.Threequartersofthesereportedvictimsweregirls.13
• In2011-2012,around107,200peopleaged0to24yearswereassistedbyspecialisthomelessnessservices;around19percentwereunder12yearsandaround13percentwereaged12to18years.14
• Onanaveragedayin2011-2012,therewere6940childrenandyoungpeopleaged10yearsorolderunderyouthjusticesupervision;15thevastmajorityweremale(83percent)andagedbetween14to17 years(79percent).16.About40percentofthisgroupwereAboriginalorTorresStraitIslander.17
• Mentalhealthproblemsanddisorderscomprisethehighestburden(almost50percent)ofdiseaseamongAustralianchildren.18From2007to2011,therewere53deathsbysuicideofchildrenagedunder15 years.AboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderchildrenaccountedfor17(32percent)ofthesedeaths.19
• Australianresearchin2009indicatesthatoveraquarter(27percent)ofstudentsareaffectedbybullyingatschool;aroundsevenpercentreportedcyberbullying.20Similarly,aroundaquarterofchildrenandyoungpeoplesurveyedin2011saidbullyingwasanissue.Itwasofmostconcerntochildrenaged11 to 14years(28.3percent).21
MostchildreninAustraliagrowupinasafe,healthyandpositiveenvironment.
Broadlyspeaking,childreninAustraliahaveaccesstohigh-qualityschoolsandhealthservices.Mostliveinsafeandnurturinghomes,wheretheycanpursuetheirinterests,beinvolvedintheircommunitiesandplanfortheirfutures.
However,twentyyearsafterAustraliasignedtheConventionontheRightsoftheChild,therearestillvulnerablegroupsofchildrenandyoungpeoplewhoareatriskofbeingleftbehindorfallingthroughthecracks.
Childrenexperiencinghomelessnessormentalhealthissues,childrenwithdisabilities,childrenlivinginout-of-homecare,childreninimmigrationdetentionandAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderchildrenrequireparticularassistancetomakesuretheirrightsareprotected.
About• Thereareapproximately5.1millionchildreninAustralia.Roughly1.5millionareagedfouryearsorunder;2.2millionareagedbetweenfiveand12 years;and1.4millionareagedbetween13and17years.1TheproportionofchildrenamongAustralia’stotalpopulationhasbeensteadilydeclininginrecentdecadesduetosustainedlowfertilityandincreasedlifeexpectancy.2
• In2006,therewereanestimated294,000AboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderchildreninAustralia(4.2 percentofallAustralianchildren).3Childrenmakeupmorethanhalf(57percent)ofthetotalAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderpopulation.4
• In2009,aroundsevenpercent(290,000)ofAustralia’schildrenaged0to14yearshadsomeformofdisability.Ofthesechildren,morethanhalfhadsevereorprofoundlimitationofcoreactivities.5
• On30June2012,therewere39,621childrenlivingin out-of-homecareinAustralia,6anincreaseof27percentfrom2008.7AboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderchildrenwerenearlytentimesmorelikelytobeinout-of-homecarecomparedtonon-Indigenouschildren.8
• Asof31January2014,therewere1,006childreninclosedimmigrationdetentionfacilitiesinAustralia.9
Face the Facts: Children’s rights • 2014 • 3
Positive developments• Thevastmajority(93percent)ofAustralianchildrenratetheirhealthas“good”,“verygood”or“excellent”.22
• MostchildreninAustraliaareachievingnationalminimumstandardsforreading,writingandnumeracy;arefullyengagedinstudyorwork;andhavestrongsupportnetworks.23
• Mostchildrensaytheyareabletogetsupportfromoutsidetheirhouseholdintimesofcrisis.24
• Therehasbeenasignificantdecreaseindeathratesamongchildreninrecentyears,mostlyduetoafallininjury-relateddeaths.25
Did you know?Over60percentofchildrenandyoungpeoplewhotookpartinasurveybytheAustralianHumanRightsCommissionsaidtheydidnotknoworwereunawarethattheyhadspecialrights.26
Find out more• AustralianHumanRightsCommission,Children’s
Rights Report(2013)• AustralianHumanRightsCommission,BackMeUpCyber-bullyingproject(2012)
• AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,Young Australians: their health and wellbeing (2011)
• AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,A picture of Australia’s children 2012(2012)
• AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,Youth justice in Australia 2011-12: An overview(2013)
• UnitedNations,ConventionontheRightsoftheChild
Our roleIn2013,aNationalChildren’sCommissionerwasappointedtotheAustralianHumanRightsCommission.
AkeyroleoftheCommissioneristomonitorandreportannuallyonthestatusofchildren’srightsinAustraliaandtomakerecommendationstoensurethatchildrencanenjoytheirrights.
TheCommissioneralsopromotescommunityawarenessanddiscussionofchildren’srights;undertakesresearchandeducationalprograms;andcanexamineandmakerecommendationsonnewandexistingCommonwealthlawstoensurethattherightsofchildrenarerespected.
Todothiswork,theCommissionerconsultswithchildrenand children’sadvocates.
Findoutmoreaboutourworkinthisarea.
4
1 AustralianHumanRightsCommission,Children’s Rights Report 2013(2013),p19(footnote8).
2 AustralianBureauofStatistics,3101.0-Australian Demographic Statistics, June 2009(December2009).
3 AustralianBureauofStatistics,4725.0-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing: A focus on children and youth, April 2011(May2012).
4 AustralianBureauofStatistics,above.5 AustralianBureauofStatistics,4102.0-Australian Social Trends,
June 2012(2012).6 AustralianHumanRightsCommission,note1,footnote21.7 AustralianHumanRightsCommission,note1,footnote22.8 AustralianHumanRightsCommission,note1,footnote23.9 DepartmentofImmigrationandBorderProtection,Immigration Detention
and Community Statistics Summary: 31 January 2014(2014)p 3.10 AustralianHumanRightsCommission,note1,footnote19.11 AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,A picture of Australia’s children
2012(2012),p90.12 SecretariatofNationalAboriginalandIslanderChildCarestudycited
inKRichards,‘Children’sExposuretoDomesticViolenceinAustralia’,AustralianInstituteofCriminologyTrendsandIssuesinCrimeandCriminalJustice,419(2011).
13 AustralianHumanRightsCommission,note1,footnote32.
14 AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,Australia’s welfare 2013(2013)p178.
15 AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,Youth justice in Australia 2011-12: an overview(2013),p3,18.
16 AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,above,p1.17 AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,note14,p181.18 AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,Young Australians: their health
and wellbeing 2011(2011);AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,The burden of disease and injury in Australia(2003).
19 AustralianBureauofStatistics,3303.0-Causes of Death, Australia, 2011(March2013).
20 ChildHealthPromotionResearchCentre,EdithCowanUniversity,Australian Covert Bullying Prevalence Study(2009),p284.
21 MissionAustralia,Insights into the concerns of young Australians: Making sense of the 2011 Youth Survey(2012),p5.
22 AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,Young Australians: their health and wellbeing 2011(2011).
23 AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,above.24 AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,note22.25 AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,note22.26 AustralianHumanRightsCommissionnote1,p21.
Endnotes
Face the Facts: Children’s rights • 2014 • 5
FurtherInformation Australian Human Rights Commission
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