Face the facts:CHILDREN’S RIGHTS • 2014

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Face the Facts: Children’s rights • 2014

ISBN 978-1-921449-67-3

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Face the Facts: Children’s rights • 2014 • 1

www.humanrights.gov.au/face-facts

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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.

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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

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