I have to say, being an Aussie, and hearing horrific stories of what can happen in communities like those, I support Howard's decision (and so does the opposition leader- that should say something, when both parties are in agreement). It's a temporary measure to improve the situation until a permanent solution can be created.
I have a family friend who works in communities such as these in the NT, (he is Aboriginal himself) and he finds the abuse hard to deal with. He and his wife run a home for children wanting to study, and he often finds that just plain kindness and compassion can be taken, by young, abused children, to be an overture for sex. I'm talking about young teenage girls who believe that kindness is only ever a ploy- never just genuine compassion. It's a heartbreaking situation.
I can see how the situation can be seen as racism, but, like Bubble Girl said, we are looking at high rates of child abuse in predominately Aboriginal communities, in a state with a higher concentration of Aboriginals. In a lot of cases, the communites are crying out for medical assistance for this problem, but before medical teams can move in, the situation needs to be stablised.
I think the situation has been greatly hyped up by the media, and I think it is a little unfair that so many people jump to condemn the Howard government- when they are just trying to protect innocent children from horrific abuse. I would also like to mention that conclusion to the article:
"For years, white men were banned from marrying Aboriginal woman, and mixed-race children were taken from their Aboriginal mothers to be assimilated into mainstream society. "
appears to be a nasty attack on Australia, based on archaic policies from long ago. Please, don't try to tell me that Aus is the only place this has happened- many, many countries have made this mistake. The government is doing the best it can in a highly difficult situation, in the best interests of vulnerable, abused children.
I have a family friend who works in communities such as these in the NT, (he is Aboriginal himself) and he finds the abuse hard to deal with. He and his wife run a home for children wanting to study, and he often finds that just plain kindness and compassion can be taken, by young, abused children, to be an overture for sex. I'm talking about young teenage girls who believe that kindness is only ever a ploy- never just genuine compassion. It's a heartbreaking situation.
I can see how the situation can be seen as racism, but, like Bubble Girl said, we are looking at high rates of child abuse in predominately Aboriginal communities, in a state with a higher concentration of Aboriginals. In a lot of cases, the communites are crying out for medical assistance for this problem, but before medical teams can move in, the situation needs to be stablised.
I think the situation has been greatly hyped up by the media, and I think it is a little unfair that so many people jump to condemn the Howard government- when they are just trying to protect innocent children from horrific abuse. I would also like to mention that conclusion to the article:
"For years, white men were banned from marrying Aboriginal woman, and mixed-race children were taken from their Aboriginal mothers to be assimilated into mainstream society. "
appears to be a nasty attack on Australia, based on archaic policies from long ago. Please, don't try to tell me that Aus is the only place this has happened- many, many countries have made this mistake. The government is doing the best it can in a highly difficult situation, in the best interests of vulnerable, abused children.
you bring up a very good point. I think what the prime minister is trying to do is out of line..