Home
Our Work
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Projects
Age assessment in people smuggling cases - Inquiry into the treatment of individuals suspected of people smuggling offences who say that they are children

Age assessment in people smuggling cases - Inquiry into the treatment of individuals suspected of people smuggling offences who say that they are children

Asylum Seekers and Refugees

Monday 21 November, 2011 - Friday 27 July, 2012

Age assessment in people smuggling cases

Inquiry into the treatment of individuals suspected of people smuggling offences who say that they are children

The outgoing President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Catherine Branson QC, recently completed an Inquiry into the treatment of individuals suspected of people smuggling offences who say that they are children. The majority of these individuals of concern to the Inquiry were Indonesian nationals who had worked as crew on boats bringing asylum seekers to Australia, and who were subsequently been investigated for people smuggling offences. The Inquiry has considered all cases where age has been in dispute since September 2008.

The Inquiry report, An age of uncertainty, was tabled in Parliament on 27 July 2012. The report details how the Australian Government’s failure to seriously question age assessment practices and procedures resulted in some children spending long periods of time detained in adult correctional facilities. In particular, it documents how the acts and practices of the Australian Federal Police, the Office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions and the Attorney-General’s Department have resulted in breaches of the rights of these individuals. The report encourages the Australian Government to take steps to ensure that in the future, the human rights of all those who come in contact with Australia’s criminal justice system are respected.