Type:	Journal Article
Title:	Child abuse is part of the daily violence in the Northern Territory
Other Titles:	The Bulletin
Authors:	Toohey, Paul
Keywords:	Criminal justice responses;Child protection;Perpetrators;Impact on children and young people;Indigenous issues;Regional rural and remote areas
Year:	2006
Publisher:	Australian Consolidated Press
Citation:	124 (51), December 2006
Notes:	General Overview:This article is a descriptive piece examining the problem of paedophilia, violence and child abuse in a small, remote Indigenous community in the Northern Territory of Australia. In assessing whether various attempts to address the problem are effective or appropriate, the author looks at the various government systems and community dynamics to explain why the problem continues. Discussion:The author describes the history of two paedophiles (white males) who had taken advantage of the damaged families in the area to prey on children, and also the environment that appeared to normalise this behaviour for the children. He describes the way the criminal justice system dealt with the two men and the difficulties in obtaining evidence from child witnesses resulting in an extraordinary judgment characterising one of them as a good but troubled man who had been “led on” by little girls. He notes that there appears to be no evidence of paedophile rings rather many individuals are given the opportunity to prey on children who are neglected by both families and authorities. The response of the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) by removing children from “neglectful” families , which it says enables the abuse to occur but often places them in worse situations. It seems that these decisions are not always based on solid evidence. He questions the value of Mal Brough’s (federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs) response of introducing the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) and its National Indigenous Violence and Child Abuse Intelligence Task Force. This action was taken largely in response to allegations that paedophile rings were operating in the Northern Territory. The author quotes defence barristers and the ACC director and concludes that the coercive tactics customarily employed by the ACC are totally inappropriate for use in Aboriginal communities. He is equally pessimistic about the potential of the Northern Territory government’s own inquiry to succeed, given the lack of relevant experience of those involved. The article concludes with the author criticising the Director of Public Prosecution's (DPP's) lenient treatment of Aboriginal homicide and violence resulting in a culture where violence is minimized in the community. Conclusion: The Territory and Federal government must be held accountable for continued violence in Indigenous communities, especially through its criminal justice and welfare systems which have completely failed to address the problem of Aboriginal violence and child abuse.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/13773
ISSN:	0007-4039
Appears in Collections:	Journal Articles

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