The ACT Greens say urgent action is needed to address the "erosion of culture" inside the Bimberi youth detention centre.
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They are calling on the government to protect children inside the facility by adopting a charter of rights without further delay.
"The idea is that the charter will spell out the rights of young people inside Bimberi," Greens assembly member for Murrumbidgee Caroline Le Couteur said.
"This is incredibly important for both the young people at Bimberi, and those that are caring for them.
"The charter would give children, and staff, information about their rights and responsibilities."
Staff members have alleged that children as young as 10 years old are routinely strip searched inside Bimberi, a practice condemned by the ACT Human Rights Commission in a 2011 review.
The Canberra Times has uncovered a number of other incidents and allegations concerning the centre, including:
- Detainees bashing a staff member unconscious in an alleged assault on May 6 last year
- A staff member being investigated for allegedly watching a detainee in the shower in November last year
- Another staff member being stood down after allegedly placing a detainee in a headlock in October last year
- The use of potentially unlawful "squat and cough" strip searches on young children
Children and Youth Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said work had been under way to develop such a charter for some time.
"This involved consultation with stakeholders including young people at Bimberi," she said.
"I look forward to being able to release the charter following a final round of consultation."
But Ms Le Couteur said it was time that the process, which had been dragging on for a number of years, finally came to a conclusion.
"It's been a number of years now since the government says it first began these consultations," she said.
"And now is the opportunity for the minister and the government to establish the charter as a means of ensuring that children are consistently made aware of their rights and responsibilities during their time in detention.
"When it comes to protecting the rights of children, we cannot afford any further delay.
"Particularly given the apparent erosion of culture and practice in the Bimberi Youth Justice Facility among some staff more recently, now is the time to act."
The charter was a way to protect vulnerable children and, ultimately, to ensure they learnt from their time inside the facility, Ms Le Couteur said.
"By spelling this out to staff, detainees and the community as a whole, we can make sure the ACT lives up to its duty of care.
"We want to make the experience something positive for them. It's a way to protect young people and the system."
