The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) offers the Australian Government a unique opportunity to take stock of its progress in the area of human rights and identify areas for improvement. The joint Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (ATSILS), who are listed in the submission, made a submission to the Human Rights Council to ensure that justice issues effecting Aboriginal peoples in Australia were directly highlighted to the UN by Aboriginal peoples. This submission endorses the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Joint Non-Governmental Organisation’s (NGOs) submission in regards to the framework for the promotion and protection of human rights. It focuses on human rights issues on the ground and recommends key initiatives for implementation. Issues highlighted by the submission include over-representation in the criminal justice system and high incarceration rates, the state of detention centres, access to justice, interpreters, Stolen Generations and Stolen Wages, racial discrimination and vilification, child protection and self-determination.
ATSILS_Submission_to_UPR_2010.pdf (74.2Kb)
