10 signatures reached
To: Tasmanian Government
Shut Down AYDC
Ashley Youth Detention Centre must be shut down immediately. The children that find themselves within its walls receive more harm than help. The Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings (2021) has found 172 claims of sexual abuse alone related to AYDC. This state and these children cannot and should not be made to wait another day before Ashley is shut down.
Why is this important?
Shutting down Ashley and putting an end to the institutional abuse that occurs there, will force the Tasmanian government to adopt better youth justice approaches. Not only does the method employed by AYDC increase rates of recidivism and cause more mental harm to individuals, it affects entire communities. Most of the children at Ashley are on remand for non-violent crimes such as stealing, not sentenced to detention. These are children who need help, care and support.