Govt slammed amid claims kids are sexually assaulted, abused in watch houses

Young boys are being sexually assaulted and young girls are suffering verbal abuse from male inmates in police watch houses, an advocate claims, with some forced to stay in the facilities for up to a month.

• Analysis: Miles walks tightrope

Young boys are being sexually assaulted and young girls suffering verbal abuse by male inmates while spending days locked in police watch houses, an advocate has claimed.

In a scathing letter to Premier Steven Miles and Youth Justice Minister Di Farmer, Youth Advocacy Centre chief executive Katherine Hayes has slammed the government following allegations of mistreatment of children in police watch houses.

She argued the government had failed to protect children from the abuse, including sexual assault, and threatened legal action.

Ms Farmer said any allegation of mistreatment would be taken seriously, noting watch houses were monitored by constant CCTV footage and had oversight by a number of independent agencies.

Ms Hayes’s Youth Advocacy Centre revealed, as of Wednesday, 56 Indigenous children were being held in Queensland watch houses – some 70 per cent of the total.

Processing cells inside the Brisbane watch house.

Two 14-year-old Aboriginal boys had been in watch houses for 28 and 30 days respectively and a 13-year-old boy has been in watch houses for 15 days.

Responding to criticism it has failed to address crime, the state government will release its community safety plan within days.

Stakeholders fear it will result in more kids entering police watch houses, a practice that bypassed the Human Rights Act when it was introduced in August.

Premier Steven Miles with Youth Justice Minister Di Farmer

Ms Hayes pleaded with Mr Miles and Ms Farmer to immediately increase mental and physical support to children.

“For the community to be safer these kids can’t be held in watch houses for 30 days, particularly when they’re 13 and 14 and have already suffered abuse while in the government’s custody,” she said.

“The system is not coping, and there is no indication that the government has any coherent plan to address the root causes of offending.”

Ms Hayes told The Courier-Mail a 13-year-old boy had been sexually assaulted in the Cairns watch-house, prompting him to express suicidal ideations.

“I can’t see he has been given any meaningful support following that incident,” she said.

“He was released and then returned to spend another 25 days locked in watch houses around the state.”

She said in a Caboolture-area watch house several boys in one cell had been groped by another older inmate, while in another incident an 11-year-old boy had been bashed.

Ms Hayes also claimed young girls were being held in the line of sight of adult male prisoners, who would call out to them and act in a sexually inappropriate way.

She pointed to the high numbers of children being rearrested shortly after release and said they should have been provided with better support from the government upon release.

Youth Advocacy Centre CEO Katherine Hayes

Ms Farmer said youth received physical and emotional wellbeing checks and had access to other support including legal advocacy, bail supports and cultural services.

“If a young person is not released on bail because the court has concerns about community safety, they will remain in a watch house until they can be admitted to a youth detention centre,” she said.

“There has been a significant increase in support services in watch houses, court services and extra detention centre beds.

“Youth Justice works with Queensland Police Service and other agencies, including health and education, to support the safety and wellbeing of young people in watch houses.”

Crime is expected to dominate when parliament resumes on Tuesday, with the government’s community safety plan tipped to be released and advocacy group Voice for Victims meeting at 10.30am in Queens Park on Tuesday to march to parliament.

Some group members will then meet with Mr Miles.

Voice for Victims advocate Trudy Reading called for immediate financial and psychological support for victims as soon as the crime is committed and a plan to reduce reoffending.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli argued Queenslanders would struggle to trust policy changes would work.

“The government made a conscious decision to water down the act and now in the shadows of an election we are repeatedly hearing announcements about the youth crime crisis that they have denied existed, despite creating it,” he said.

Originally published as Govt slammed amid claims kids are sexually assaulted, abused in watch houses