Child Removal In Australia
Good morning, teachers, staff, and students to the 2023 National Close the Gap Day Pacific Pines assembly. “I’d like to begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land on which we share for the purpose of education, the Kombumerri people of the Bundjalung, Ngarahngwal and Yugambeh language groups of the Mibiny Nation. Pacific Pines wish to pay our respects to the elder’s past, present and emerging. We recognise their continual connection to their culture, the sea, and their country, we honour their stories, traditions and hold the hopes for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.” Today, we gather to discuss one of the most pressing issues facing Indigenous communities in Australia: the crisis of
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Despite his evident talent, Dujuan struggles in school and frequently finds himself in trouble with welfare and the police. The film highlights how indigenous youth can become entangled in the justice system due to underlying issues prevalent today. The "closing the gap" initiative aims to reduce the disparity between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australians regarding child removal. However, evidence suggests that the promised reforms are falling far short of the mark, as child removal rates continue to rise instead of …show more content…
Shockingly, even though Aboriginal/Indigenous children account for only 3% of the population, they represent 43% of the children in forced home care. According to a government study in 2008, more than 30,000 Indigenous Australian children were placed in out-of-home care, which the government calls "child protection." (Government, 2008). Unfortunately, the government has many reasons to justify worsening this issue. Factors that contribute to the child removal gap for Indigenous children include the intergenerational effects of separation from family and culture, a Eurocentric view, and institutional racism. Statistics reveal that in 2012, 13,689 Aboriginal children across New South Wales were removed from their families, which was a 2.6% increase from the previous year. The effects of child removal on Indigenous children are detrimental and have long-term psychological and emotional consequences, according to a report by The Guardian, The Closing the Gap campaign aims to address this issue by committing to breaking the current cycle of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child removal and improving outcomes for children through early intervention programs, family support, and community empowerment (Closing The Gap, 2008) (Guardian,