Oral language and traditions that could only survive if passed down from one generation to the next were lost, and many parents struggled to get over the loss of their children. Children experienced neglect, abuse and they were more likely to suffer from depression, mental illness and low self-esteem.
Thousands of children were forcibly removed by governments, churches and welfare bodies to be raised in institutions, fostered out or adopted by non-Indigenous families, nationally and internationally.
Why were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children taken from their families? The forcible removal of First Nations children from their families was based on assimilation policies, which claimed that the lives of First Nations people would be improved if they became part of white society.
These children are known as the Stolen Generations survivors, or Stolen Children. These children were taken by the police; from their homes; on their way to or from school. They were placed in over 480 institutions, adopted or fostered by non-Indigenous people and often subjected to abuse.
The Bringing Them Home report (produced by the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families in 1987), says that "at least 100,000" children were removed from their parents.
On top of the grief and suffering caused by their removal, stolen children were often subjected to harsh and degrading treatment including abuse, exploitation and racism. Many were also denied education.
Many children from the Stolen Generations suffered extreme physical, psychological and sexual abuse living under state care. Children were forced to reject their culture and adopt a new identity. So they often felt ashamed of their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage.
Many of these children didn't know they were Aboriginal children until much later on in their lives. These children were either adopted by white families or placed into institutions ran by religious or charitable organisations. The children were taught to adopt white culture and abandon their own.
1969. By 1969, all states had repealed the legislation allowing for the removal of Aboriginal children under the policy of 'protection'.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders: Australia's First Peoples.
The NSW Minister for Education, John Perry, instructed NSW schools to remove Aboriginal children from school if non-Aboriginal parents complained. Non-Aboriginal parents frequently claimed diseases were rampant among Aboriginal students, and that they were unhygienic.
It's a story that has been repeated for generations of Aboriginal families in Australia, and it's still happening today. In 2019/20, 952 Aboriginal children across NSW were removed from their families, a 2.6% increase on the year prior.
between one in three and one in ten Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities in the period from approximately 1910 until 1970. '
At 9:30am on 13 February 2008, Rudd presented the apology to Indigenous Australians as a motion to be voted on by the house. It has since been referred to as the National Apology, or simply The Apology.
In Victoria, the term 'Forgotten Australians' refers to people who spent time as children in institutions, orphanages and other forms of out-of-home 'care', prior to 1990, many of whom had physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse perpetrated against them.
Colonisation severely disrupted Aboriginal society and economy—epidemic disease caused an immediate loss of life, and the occupation of land by settlers and the restriction of Aboriginal people to 'reserves' disrupted their ability to support themselves.
Children were forced to assimilate into non-Indigenous society and culture. They were refused access to their family and were stopped from speaking their native language and using their birth name. The government didn't keep records of birth dates or place of birth of many of the children.
In 2021, female Indigenous students had higher apparent retention rates than male Indigenous students across all school year groups and in all jurisdictions. Nationally, the apparent retention rate for female Indigenous students was 63% from Year 7/8 to Year 12, compared with 55% of male Indigenous students.
Stories from the Stolen Generations in Australia have formed an integral part of the curriculum in Australian schools for many years. Teachers in both primary and secondary schools are required to include this 'difficult knowledge' in their programs.
The Stolen Generations Memorial at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan is a site of healing. It is a place for all Australians to visit, reflect, and commemorate the impact of the forcible removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families.
The NSW Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme provides one-off ex gratia payments and an apology to surviving Stolen Generations members who were removed by, committed to, or otherwise came to be in the care of the Aborigines Welfare Board under the Aborigines Protection Act 1909, until the Act was repealed on 2 June ...
In 2018–19, approximately 142,200 Indigenous people aged 18 and over were the descendants of members of the Stolen Generations. This included 13,200 people who were themselves also Stolen Generations survivors.
Inter-generational trauma is a concept developed to help explain years of generational challenges within families. It is the transmission (or sending down to younger generations) of the oppressive or traumatic effects of a historical event.
The effects of generational trauma are still being studied but can include anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Generations of families that have endured years of abuse, neglect, assault, or other forms of trauma, may find it difficult to escape the cycle.