Why is the stolen generation an issues

Despite this, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have shown remarkable resilience in the face of enormous adversity.

Perhaps there is hope for a more positive future for the first Australians. Help us renew lives Your donation will help us improve the wellbeing of everyone who has been affected by trauma. The impact The Stolen Generations have had devastating impacts for the people who were forcibly removed as children, their parents and families, and their descendants.

Efforts to make stolen children reject their culture often created a sense of shame about being of First Nations heritage. This resulted in children experiencing a disconnection from culture, and an inability to pass culture on to their own children. Many children were wrongly told that their parents were abusive, had died or had abandoned them. Living conditions in the institutions were highly controlled, and children were frequently punished harshly, were cold and hungry and received minimal, if any, affection.

Children generally received a very low level of education, as they were expected to work as manual labourers and domestic servants. This has had lifelong economic implications and means many people of the Stolen Generations who are now parents, are unable to assist their children with schoolwork and education. The impact on parents and family members of children who were taken: Many parents never recovered from the grief of having their children removed.

Many siblings were separated and many First Nations people are still searching for their parents and siblings. The impact on descendants of members of the Stolen Generations: The removal of several generations of children severely disrupted the passing on of First Nations cultures, and consequently much cultural knowledge has been lost or lay dormant.

People who were removed as children were often deprived of living in a healthy family situation and prevented from learning parenting skills. In some instances, this has resulted in generations of children being raised in state care. Looking for F—10 curriculum resources for Science Week? Click here. Ruth's story When Ruth was four years old, she was separated from her mother on Cherbourg mission in Queensland.

Assimilation was based on a belief of white superiority and black inferiority, and presumed that "full-blood" Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples would naturally die out. It proposed that children with Aboriginal and white parentage, who were termed "half-caste" now considered an extremely derogatory term , should be assimilated into white society. It was believed these children would be more easily assimilated due to their lighter skin. Children were separated from their families and forced to adopt a white culture.

They were forbidden to speak their traditional languages or refer to themselves by the names that they were given by their parents. Most children were placed in institutions where neglect and abuse was common. Some children were adopted by white families throughout the country, and many of these children were used for domestic work. The impact was felt both by the families who had their children taken away, and by the children themselves.

The forced removal of children created significant intergenerational grief and trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families for a number of reasons. On 13 February , he offered a formal apology to members of the Stolen Generations on behalf of the Australian parliament. Crowds of people across Australia watched the Apology on big screens in their own cities and towns.

Photographic and video records of those witnessing the Apology show sombre and reflective faces as the Prime Minister spoke of the wrongs governments had inflicted on Indigenous peoples across Australia.

A huge wave of tears, relief and applause flowed when he finished speaking. Many of the 54 recommendations outlined in the Bringing them home report have still yet to be enacted. Though it is now decades old, it is still a vital resource. On the twentieth anniversary of the report, the Healing Foundation released an Action Plan for Healing.

It outlines the history, government responses, but also why action is needed now. The reality is that the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in state care has continued to rise. This is not just an issue of our past.