The National Network stands in unwavering solidarity with the children who took to the roof of Banksia Hill Detention Centre today.
‘What some may choose to call a “protest” is, in reality, an act of desperation by children who have been pushed well beyond their limits. These kids are risking their bodies, their safety, and their liberty to tell us, again, that they are not safe, that they are not being treated with dignity, and that their human rights are being violated behind those walls,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘It should never, under any circumstance, be up to children to do this work. As adults, as a society, we have a moral, legal, and cultural obligation to protect them. Children should not need to climb onto rooftops to convince us that they are suffering. They should not need to put themselves in harm’s way to be believed. They should not need to risk punishment simply to assert that they deserve safety, care, and humanity,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘What we know about prisons, is that children who speak up, resist, or draw public attention to their mistreatment are routinely punished. Members of the National Network are deeply concerned that these children will face reprisals, including isolation, use of force, or further criminalisation for an act driven by fear and desperation,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘We call on the WA Department of Justice and Corrective Services to guarantee that no child involved in this incident will be punished. Instead, they must be listened to. Their actions must be understood for what they are: a desperate plea for help,’ said Tabitha Lean.
This incident follows years of warnings from experts, advocates, and the young people themselves about the systemic abuse inside Banksia Hill. The mass-incarceration of Aboriginal children, the dangerous and degrading conditions, the excessive restraints, unlawful lockdowns, and the epidemic of self-injury paint a picture of a system in ongoing crisis.
As Megan Krakouer has said, “children in Banksia Hill Detention Centre are still being mistreated, and their fundamental human rights are being violated every single day.”
The Government’s refusal to release full and transparent data on critical incidents: self-injury, restraints, lockdown hours, has allowed this harm to continue in the shadows.
The class action now involving hundreds of children, the rulings of the Supreme Court, and the public condemnations by former Inspectors of Custodial Services and Children’s Court Presidents all confirm the same truth: Banksia Hill is unsafe, unlawful, and indefensible.
‘The National Network reiterates our long-standing call to divest from prisons, end the caging of children, and invest instead in community-led, culturally grounded supports that keep children safe, connected, and alive. Prisons do not protect children. They harm them. And today’s events show the urgent human cost of continuing to pour public funds into a violent system that has no capacity to care for the children it cages,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
The National Network call on the WA Government to:
- Immediately ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children on the roof;
- Guarantee no punitive measures will be taken in response to today’s events;
- Release transparent, independently verified data on all critical incidents;
- Commit to ending the incarceration of children and investing in community, not cages.
Children should never have to scream, climb, or risk their lives to be heard. The crisis at Banksia Hill must end, and the responsibility to act lies with us, not with the children who have already been harmed by this system.
For further comment, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 or Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226.
