UN experts slam Australian parliament for stalling bills banning shackles and child strip-searches

United Nations special rapporteurs on violence against women and on contemporary racism expressed disappointment that Australia’s parliament did not hold a vote on two reform bills. The proposals, championed by Senator Lidia Thorpe, sought to outlaw the use of restraints on incarcerated women during childbirth and to prohibit strip-searches of children. Both the governing party and the opposition joined to prevent a Senate vote, despite cross-bench support.

The UN experts urged the federal government to align custodial practices with the Bangkok Rules, which ban such restraints. Recent incidents in Western Australia and Queensland, where detained women were reportedly shackled in hospitals, have intensified calls for reform. Advocacy group Sisters Inside warned that continued use of restraints constitutes both physical and psychological abuse for mothers and newborns.