Australia’s Aboriginal child abuse scandal just keeps getting bigger, and worse

A while ago, the “revelation” of child abuse in remote Aboriginal communities became a public issue, not just a mutter among those who paid any attention to indigenous affairs. One in three children is alleged to have been abused.

It’s a hideous issue for the Aboriginal society, and the tendency in Australian media is that everyone gets smeared by any scandal. The Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Mr. Brough, has been critical of community management for some time. He has imposed some pretty strict guidance on the communities, and a lot of it hasn’t been much appreciated by them. Now, he’s saying that an allegation he made of pedophile rings within the communities is being borne out by the studies of child abuse. He deserves some credit for taking a stance. Indigenous Affairs isn’t a career move in Australian politics. It’s like health and education, tough and no guarantee of any political status. He’s been accused of being hamfisted, but that a conservative Minister is tackling the very politically thankless task at all is rather unusual. The status of the portfolio also says a lot about the relative priorities of Aboriginal affairs in Australia. As a bit of background the remote communities have a lot in common with the Native American reservations… back in the 19th century, in some cases. The situation is much complicated by a combination of ignorance, distance, and bureaucracy. If that sounds like a recipe for certain inactivity, it usually is. The remote communities vary wildly, from tribal cliques, to true traditional communities, with tribal law enforced. Some are very well run, some are disaster areas. Amenities vary equally, from non-existent to embarrassing, to antiquated, to something resembling OK. A few communities have quite modern facilities, others don’t have anything worth having, or even wanting, in some cases. The communities suffer severely in the present society, from all directions, material and social. There’s nothing to keep their kids on the land. They can’t really develop out there, and even if they do return eventually, they have to leave to find work, education, and some sort of future as defined by the macro society. Fortunately for everyone, Aboriginal extended families work pretty well. There is considerable crime, violence, and real personal trauma, as well as the difficulties of just being Aboriginal in what is still essentially a Euro centric society. It wasn’t their idea. Much more fortunately, Aboriginals who have fought their way through the social obstacle course always try and help. Aboriginal leaders are very committed people, and so are many in their communities and urban groups. They never give up and they keep going regardless. That’s one of the main reasons Aboriginals in Australia have managed to drag themselves up by their bootstraps out of the very large hole they were in as recently as 1960. The child abuse allegations are if anything a vindication of everything Aboriginal leaders have been saying for decades about the communities, and the effects of the utterly bizarre theories of management inflicted on them over the years. They’re not saying, “We told you so”, however. This issue must be sickening to the huge numbers of Aboriginals who’ve devoted their lives to trying to improve things for their people. That they were right wouldn’t be much consolation. As an Australian, and one who does try to understand Aboriginal issues, can I say that I’ve never thought of Aboriginals as “them”. They’re an “us”. This situation, they did not need. Nor can Australia avoid it. It’s our collective responsibility. There are at least 600,000 Aboriginals in Australia. The history has been repulsive enough, without yet another generation being destroyed by neglect. That an Australian government is simultaneously undermining the concept of indigenous rights globally (see global indigenous rights article, grouped) is unforgivable. In my opinion those who don’t care are those who don’t have the guts to care. These links will give a better overview of current Aboriginal (aka Koori, for those who don’t recognize the word) culture, and some background on the abuse stories. ABC Australia Message Stick Brough re pedophile rings Child sex abuse article Daily Telegraph Living Black SBS Australia