Megan Mitchell
National Children’s Commissioner
26 July 2013
Children’s rights: everyone, everywhere, everyday
CASTAN CENTRE HUMAN RIGHTS LAW CONFERENCE
2013
Pontville Alternative Place of Detention
Photo by Calla Wahlquist, The Examiner, 30 January 2013
Words from boys in Pontville APOD
‘Even if you make this place heaven it is not enough for us because we feel like we are in a cage.
We feel people see us like animals in a cage.’
‘Four months we have been staying here. Our request is they should get us out of here when we
are fit and healthy, not when we are crazy.’
‘We stay up all night and sleep all day. We don’t want to go to school because it upsets us to see
others free.’
‘At school people stare and laugh at us which makes us feel sad.’
‘We are getting crazy pressure from our families. At 3am if you come here you will see people
walking around like crazy because they can’t sleep. There are going crazy so people cut
themselves.’
‘We are fed up with people telling us we are going to get out. We don’t mind living on the street, we
just want to get out.’
Child rights poster
The Big Banter
somethingincommon.gov.au/thebigbanter
email: kids@humanrights.gov.au
Stories from The Big Banter survey
Young children from different countries who come on
the ships should be allowed to stay in Australia
because they’re young and they need to be safe from
what’s happening in their country. (10 year old girl
from Victoria)
Police are always questioning me on my way home. I
think they do this because I am a south pacific
islander and they must think I am going to start a fight
or something. (15 year old boy from Queensland)
Sometimes my friends need help but don’t know
where to go or don’t want to make a fuss.
(Older girl from the ACT)