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Stolen Children From the beginning of colonisation Indigenous children were taken from their families for a variety of purposes that included sexual exploitation and child labour. With the advent of a series of formal legislation governing Indigenous affairs, one of the most devastating features of the legislation was the loss of parental rights over children. This legislation applied exclusively to Aboriginal people and was based solely on race. It treated children as objects and legally ratified institutionalism as a way of life, confirming the status of Aboriginal people as inmates. Children were taken from parents, family, community and country by police or other authority figures and placed in institutions, dormitories and missions. Some were fostered and adopted into other families. Many children experienced neglect, emotional, physical and sexual abuse, racism and discrimination. Although parents tried to resist the removal of their children, there were few avenues for appeal. Although the legislation was gradually repealed over time, the removal of Indigenous children continued into the 1970's.
It is important for health practitioners to have an understanding of the early laws governing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the impact on family and community life has been devastating and continues to impact on health and wellbeing today. Families and communities are still finding lost relatives and for some of the children reared away from family, the journey home as adults has been traumatic. There have been a number of publications regarding the Stolen Generations and to fully understand the impact, personal biographies as well as more formal reports and reviews are recommended reading. These will provide useful information into the experiences of many of the Indigenous clients and communities you may be working with today.
In 1997 the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HEREOC) submitted the "Bringing them home" report, which can be read here.
In 2001 "stolen generation" became officially listed in the Oxford dictionary defined as "Aboriginal people removed from their families as children and placed in institutions or foster homes". Today removal of Indigenous children continues at unacceptably high rates for welfare reasons and through incarceration in Juvenile detention facilities. It is not surprising families may be reluctant to engage with mental health services especially if their ability as parents is being assessed. Given the difficulties families continue to experience currently, not enough has been done to address these historical issues, restore family systems and support families to bring up healthy, happy children. It is important for services and clinicians to be appropriately responsive and sensitive to issues faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
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Key issues
