⚠️ possible trigger ⚠️ Dylan Voller

So this post may be long, but back story is important.

Don Dale Youth Detention Centre is a juvenile detention facility in Australia. There have been many cases of abuse committed by staff, and it all comes up with a quick google search.

In 2014, 1 boy walked out of an unlocked cell and started banging on the door, so staff tear gassed him and the other 5 boys who remained in their cells. Staff then told the media all 6 boys escaped and started a riot. CCTV proved that there wasn’t a riot.

A current affairs program, “Four Corners” released an episode about the repeated abuse of inmates in July 2016. This episode showed the boys being assaulted, stripped, tear gassed, being held in isolation for days at a time with no water, and 17 year old Dylan Voller shackled and hooded in a chair.

After this, the Prime Minister announced a royal commission into juvenile detention. Until then, it was legal to use restraint chairs and spit hoods on young inmates.

Recently, a company in Las Vegas took the image of Dylan Voller in a spit hood, and made a t-shirt. Even though they sold less than 50 shirts, they still profited. Some people feel that the shirt was glorifying torture and abuse of children, but the company has claimed a lack of education and research of the image. They no longer stock the shirt.

From what I’ve seen on Facebook, people are divided over the shirt. Some say it’s profiting from child abuse, others say it exposes Australia’s abuse of human rights.

Some people say it’s unfair for Dylan, some people say he deserves it for his crimes (car theft, robbery and assault).

Dylan is indigenous has been in and out of jail since he was 11. He has been restrained by the neck, thrown into cells, isolated, stripped and tear gassed. He was underage in all these situations. He was released in 2017 (not sure of date) and has publicly apologised for his crimes. He’s now an advocate for indigenous youth in detention and his family are campaigning for juvenile justice reform.

What are your opinions on the shirt? I won’t post a photo because I believe it’s disrespectful, but it is available on google.