Aboriginal child abuse and the NT Intervention

Excellent, I see that Australia is your current rant du jour.

Sooo... Do you think all Aboriginals are paedophiles?

Umm no. You are taking a simplistic approach to it and one that really flies in the face of reality.

The Howard Government reacted to a spate of reports of fairly horrific child abuse cases that occured over a period of time. One of which was quite horrifying.. I'd go into details but yeah, it was stomach turning. The child in question had been gang raped repeatedly after being removed from her non-Indigenous foster carers and placed back into the Aboriginal community to live with her extended family, even though the social workers knew she would not be safe there. The report into the incident and into child abuse in general found that the figures were quite horrifying.

Because the areas covered in the Northern Territory were so vast, the army was called in for logistical reasons. Children were not removed in bulk from communities, but yes, the approach of the Government was reactionary and heavy handed. But the end result was more police officers being placed in Aboriginal communities, more safe houses and better medical access for Aboriginal children, which your link mentions.

Now, new laws and regulations were also put in place to force parents to actually feed their children. So what they did was to hold back a portion of their welfare payments and that money was used to pay their rent directly and also to purchase their food or to provide them with food stamps or coupons for food and clothing items only. Alcoholism is rife in many Aboriginal communities, as is petrol sniffing, and many children fall prey and victim to it (by becoming addicted themselves or from the abuse that inevitably follows when their family members are drunk and stoned out of their minds). Some communities went further and forced school attendance and provided buses to go and pick up the children and take them to school and then provided afterschool care and sports to keep these children from alcohol and petrol or spray paint sniffing. These children were also fed and given medical aid as required. That is what the army helped set up. The Howard Government didn't send in the army to take children from their homes. The army in most cases helped set up field hospitals and provided doctors and nurses in these remote communties, as well as counsellors as required.

I'd really suggest you read up on the issue before you take a couple of paragraphs and blow it out of proportion and out of context.

I think if a child is in danger in a community, they should be removed immediately from that community. Race does not factor into a child's safety. Or do you disagree?

 

What in the hell are you on about?

You know nothing about the plight of Aboriginal women and children in this country. You obviously know nothing about the reasons for intervention or why the Army was used.

You don't even have a basic grasp of it.

No community on this planet is free from abused children. Or does that escape you? Your own country is rife with it. At least we're trying to address the issue through medical help, education and offering women and children in danger the ability to escape to safety. Can you say the same for your country?

I understand you have a stick up your backside about Afghanistan, but don't confuse the issue. It has nothing to do about abused children in Aboriginal communities in Australia.

Since you have no clue about this issue in Australia, I'd say your opinion is about as worthy as the leaves you use to wipe your backside.

You don't even know or understand the Stolen Generation or what it entailed. For you to use it in this context proves that. It's actually quite insulting and racist.

You're like the Sarah Palin of Sciforums... Just talking points with no substance or understanding of actual issues.

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Is your Government incapable of caring for the wellbeing of women and children in India? I'd suggest you take it up with them.

 

Well in your opinion, we murder children as our past time. Maybe you should seek help from Iran. I understand from you that they're absolute role models these days.

 

So the sabre rattling towards Israel is what? An invitation to a Sunday picnic?

What makes you assume the Australian Government only does this to Aboriginals? They do it to anyone who suffers from severe substance abuse to ensure they have a house over their heads and food on the table. Many families have a portion of their welfare payments withheld to pay food and rent, etc. It is a way to ensure their children are fed and educated and have a home. Do you disagree with the policy?

Who said anything about porn? You are aware that most Aboriginal communities are dry zones and such moves were put in place at the request of Aboriginal elders? Yes? No?

You mean education and health care for their families and safe havens for those who are abused? Something the Government is trying to make available to all Australians?

What makes you assume Aboriginals need to be taught such things? Do you consider them to be backwards?

 

Once again, we see SAM avoid a simple, direct question, and attempt to divert onto a tangential topic of discussion.

Why is SAM unable to answer simple direct questions?

Does SAM support the Taliban? Yes or no?
Does SAM believe that all aboriginal people are pedophiles? Yes or no?
Does SAM think the Iranian government is a model government? Yes or no?

I can only conclude that SAM doesn't want to tell us what she actually believes about things. Is that because she is worried that she will look bad when she tells us what she really thinks? Is she embarassed about her opinions? I think that must be it.

Once again, SAM avoids answering the simple question. Instead, she gives a snide response that puts words into Bells' mouth.

The question was: Should race be a factor in concern for a child's safety? i.e. should children of different races be treated differently when it comes to protecting them from abuse? Yes or no?

Again, it's a very straightforward question.

So let me ask it directly in a different way:

SAM: Do you condone the abuse of some children, if they are of certain races?

 

You mean they are trying to police Israel by demanding the death of Zionism?

They are attempting to treat all of it.

I guess trying to make sure that their children actually have food to eat on a daily basis and ensuring the children get an education and health care is a bad thing to you and not a good way to try to overcome substance abuse. I beg to differ.

Do you know or understand anything at all about the role of elders in Aboriginal communities? Do you know or understand how they govern their communities and the rules used to govern such communities? I would guess from this statement of yours that the answer to that is no?

One more time, for Sarah Palin..

The Army was used for logistical purposes - transport (air and land) - since the areas covered were so vast and remote and in some instances, difficult to access by car or 4x4 for example..

Ah yes, I forget you come from a caste system where those less fortunate then you are considered backward.

At least we acknowledge there is a problem and are looking for solutions to fix it. Can you say the same for you country? Seeing the levels of poverty being hidden from view in the Commonwealth Games, I would probably say the answer to that question would be a no.

Which men? They go to jail.

Which children? Those who are in danger in their communities are placed in foster homes with parents who are trained to care for abused children, or placed with extended family members in other communities.

This is common in Australia. If a child is sexually abused or physically abused in their home, they are removed from said home until said home is made safe for their return.

Huh?

 

Not to mention helping in other disaster areas..

When we lost everything in The Gap storms and were trying to sort through the rubble and mud that had swamped our home, they just turned up on our doorstep with clean drinking water (our water supply was not drinkable in the weeks after the storm) and fresh food for us to eat (we were trapped and unable to get out as parts of the roads were blocked in the street where I lived).. And helped us carry out the mud soaked furniture and helped us for about 2 days.. Without our having requested it. They all just turned up in our street and did it. Even took us to get hot showers and a hot meal in the evening (we had no power and our BBQ had floated off down the river) in their big trucks..

Thankfully our children were not there. Otherwise, in Sam's world, they'd have shot the children.. Because that's apparently what they do.

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