Following exert comes from an article in The Age, "Another tricky Howard ruse", Gregory Phillips, June 23, 2007
"Nobody denies that sexual abuse and alcoholic dysfunction in indigenous communities is a massive problem. Many Aborigines have long advocated for better services to deal with the issues, and have strongly asserted that alcoholism and sexual abuse are not a part of Aboriginal culture. It is, in fact, a learned behaviour.
Where did Aborigines learn it? It is partly a hangover of the missionary days only 20 and 30 years ago, where sexual violence was routinely perpetrated on Aborigines by police, pastoralists and missionaries, and where the church often forced people to marry against their social and cultural clan systems. This is not an excuse for abuse today, but it is part of the reason people are behaving this way now. Sure, the abuser must take responsibility for these terrible actions, and sure, society has a responsibility to protect children. But to do so only through the law has never worked either here or overseas.
There's no evidence that dealing with addictions and sexual abuse through legal, criminal or administrative systems alone works. It might help alleviate some physical injury and perhaps prevent a small amount of abuse, but it doesn't address the emotional and mental turmoil that gave rise to the behaviour in the first place.
By contrast, Native Canadian communities in crisis with sexual abuse have turned the issue around in 10 years by community-led action, by government being prepared to listen to and trust local community leaders, and by supporting communities themselves to make the abuse of alcohol a socially unacceptable behaviour. "
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3 comments:
I was just talking about these new laws when figured I'd check out the old blog. Since the anouncement of these new policies I've been waiting for the wide scale social backlash to new laws which to me seem a massive step backwards. Sadly in the mainstream media and politics I don't see this.
Yes sexual abuse is a very serious issue and cannot be ignored but as in the article you quoted the challenges facing Indiginous Australians are the result to two hundered plus years of being treated as second class citizens in this country. How are we to move towards healing in this country if we continue to think that we can subject certain ethnic/cultural groups to rules that we would not dream of subjecting ourselves to.
Imagine the outcry if we were to ban alcohol in the 'white' community? hmmmm
Interesting understandings and attitudes are being portrayed in a lot of what is happening with these most recent announcements. A crisis yes, but of ho's making? What of consultation with communities? What of working with them to facilitate the capacity of individuals and communities to resolve these significant issues?
Is this another form of imperialism.
John
Thanks for the blog comments! I agree with you both and as you said John it has been an interesting eye opener to the public's attitude and perception on the issue. I have been reading a book called "Divided Nation" recently that goes through and discusses public opinions and debates at the time of major aboriginal policies being set. It begins with the referendum and goes through Mabo & Land Rights etc. Scary realisation is that what we are debating now is no more evolved than in 1967.
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