Report Says Indigenous Population 23 Times More Likely to Face Jail Terms in Australia

A new report by an international minority rights group has warned that native Aboriginal kids in Australia are 23 times more likely to spend time in jail compared to their non-indigenous counterparts. The London-based rights organisation, Minority Rights Group International, said that Aboriginal children face more risk as federal government programs are falling short to address extreme hardship within the communities.

Indigenous Australians are also over-represented in the criminal justice system and are 14 times more likely to be sent to jail than non-indigenous people.

"Indigenous minors are particularly at risk; indigenous girls and boys are 23 times more likely to be imprisoned than their non-indigenous counterparts," the report said.

The report said that the 2006 program of 'Closing the Gap' has addressed the situation of "extreme indigenous disadvantage" by setting clear targets to improve the lives of indigenous Australians, the Herald Sun reports.

"However, recent analysis indicates that the government is on track to meet only two of its six targets (under the initiative)," the report said.

Across a range of indicators such as education, health and life expectancy, they all fall significantly below non-indigenous averages, it added.

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The report also pointed out that indigenous communities also appear to have failed to fully benefit from the mining boom.

Source-ANI