Rights groups slam Australian state’s child sentencing law

SYDNEY – Rights activists have slammed the Australian state of Queensland’s imposition of adult jail sentences on children as young as ten.
The state’s new conservative government has conceded the new law is “incompatible” with human rights legislation and will likely have a “greater impact” on Indigenous children.
But it decided to override existing human rights law because the crime situation was “exceptional”.
The “Making Queensland Safe” law approved by parliament on Thursday scraps the principle that jail should be a last resort for minors.
It says children from the age of 10 will…