As the nation marks Sorry Day, Caritas Australia joins the Stolen Generations Alliance (SGA) in calling for a fresh national focus to be placed on truth, justice and healing for Aboriginal people who were removed from their families. True healing must include justice for Stolen Generations.
This year commemorates the 15th anniversary of the handing down of the Bringing Them Home report on the Stolen Generations, but there is still much work to be done to deliver justice to those who suffered and continue to suffer from being forcibly removed from their families.
SGA highlights the continued difficulty for those removed overseas in returning home. One of SGA's members, Leonie Pope, has been commended for her courage and determination to return home to Australia despite many obstacles. Leonie was adopted without her mother's knowledge and removed to Wales in the 1970s. She only returned to Australia in the last few years.
Leonie now works with the SGA to promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander submissions to the Senate Inquiry into Former Forced Adoption Policies and Practices.
Caritas Australia's Chief Executive Officer, Jack de Groot, recently stated:
The 2008 National Apology to the Stolen Generations was a high point in the history of our nation. It has been followed up with some excellent initiatives, such as the provision of Bringing Them Home Counsellors and the funding of Link-Up services to assist with the healing process. But there is much, much, more that remains to be done to achieve Justice.
SGA's co-chairs, Jim Morrison and Tina Louise, are determined that the spirit of Bringing Them Home and the Apology are backed up by effective action for Stolen Generations. In the words of Morrison:
For too long we have been chipping away at the edges ... without making a significant difference for many of those who have been most tragically affected. We have received reports that some families are now enduring their sixth generation of successive removals and this is just not good enough. We need to get to the core of these issues and resolve them properly.
The members of the Stolen Generations continue to face difficulties that relate to their experiences. A feeling of isolation is paramount among them. Severe isolation impacts socially, emotionally and financially. Some members have no one to turn to in times of need, are suspicious and fearful of mainstream services and often feel uncomfortable (for many reasons) using Aboriginal services.
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