Dear Neville
I’m a proud Nigena woman from Derby, in the Kimberley of Western Australia and a lawyer. During my time as a lawyer I’ve watched too many Indigenous kids get locked up- only to spiral into a life of crime and disadvantage.
Right now the Western Australian parliament is debating a bill that is likely to see at least another 60 kids locked up each year. It’s already passed the lower house. Prison time for kids should never be compulsory. Will you sign the petition and call for WA’s Attorney General to scrap mandatory sentences for kids?
Everyone has a right to be treated equally. But when an Indigenous child is 52 times more likely to be locked up than a non-Aboriginal child we know the law is not being applied equally.
This campaign is about real solutions, led and delivered by Aboriginal people. If kids are given a chance instead of being locked up their lives can be turned around. That’s why I’m asking you to join me in signing this petition.
I remember speaking with Sarah* from the Fitzroy Valley in WA. Her parents split when she was about 10. After this she grew up without a mother, moving between the homes of various family members. She smoked, she drank, and when she was 16 she assaulted someone. Sarah was lucky – after the assault she was steered away from trouble when the Aboriginal-led Yiriman Project took her out on country with women Elders.
She is now employed at a local Aboriginal organisation and is planning to start her own business. Sarah says that her future is promising because of her involvement as a teenager with the Yiriman Project women’s program.
There are courageous efforts in many communities where Indigenous people are exploring innovative approaches to dealing with inherited trauma and injustice.
Mandatory sentencing will lock more kids up and prevent judges from sending them to programs like Yiriman. Will you stand up for kids’ access to these programs and a better life?
While we must work on this issue right now, we’re also calling for long-term change. We’ll ask government to invest in long-term strategies and solutions like the Yiriman Project led by Indigenous people and our communities.
We need people like you to support Aboriginal people and our solutions. We need you to stand beside us and tell government that we can’t wait any longer. Together we need to hold government to account because we can’t wait another 20 years for a solution.
I hope you will join us,
Tammy Solonec
Indigenous Rights Manager
Amnesty International Australia
P.s. Please join me in signing the petition to the Attorney General. We can and must do better for our kids.
