Using Science for Video Classification, instead of Guesswork
There is strong evidence that consumption of violent media risks influencing people’s thoughts, attitudes and behaviour. The evidence cannot ever be conclusive but in our society we take some pretty drastic measures based on less than ironclad proof ... Regulatory action to respond to the science on violent media would not simply be a matter of tightening up access on all fronts. A root and branch review of the classification categories and criteria is needed to shift the focus away from what is offensive to what is harmful based on the evidence. Read full article
Children Have Rights – Why Does that Make Some People Angry?
When someone publishes a piece in mainstream media using the term ‘children’s rights’ or something similar, there’s often a stream of angry and defensive comments from adults who flip the argument to questions like “what about the rights of parents?” – usually those comments also express annoyance at the focus on a child’s rights...My question is – what are adults scared of? Why does the term “children’s rights” make some adults uncomfortable? Read full article
Safe Haven - Preventing Women from Harming Their Babies
Opinion: In December 2010, Keli Lane, a former champion water polo player, was convicted of the 1996 murder of her two day old daughter, Tegan. The new-born girl was never seen again after leaving the hospital with Lane, who was sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment last year. The law treats the crime of abandoning, or killing a child younger one year old under special conditions. It is also the kind of crime that attracts special attention from the media and the public, but many of these crimes will go unheard of, and unsolved. Read full article
Four Girls Who Have an Opinion - a Child Rights Case?
This week the rights of a child are in the news in Australia. What? You didn’t see all the media? Did you see the numerous television and news stories about four girls (aged 9, 10, 13 and 14) ‘on the run’, trying to avoid a court order that they return to Italy where their father lives (their mum is Australian)? Without knowing the details of those four girls’ experiences and knowing nothing about the mother or father, it’s a mistake for any of us to pass judgement on where those girls should be living right now. That’s a judgement for experts and the courts – but you know what, it’s also something about which each of those four children would have a strong view. Read full article
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