New Initiative Launched to Combat Family Violence Against First Nations Women and Children

A new national organization, Our Ways Strong Together, is set to launch in Canberra on Wednesday, aimed at reducing family and sexual violence against Aboriginal women and children. This initiative comes after extensive advocacy from Indigenous women’s safety advocates, highlighting the urgent need for systemic change in addressing violence within First Nations communities.

The Guardian

First Nations women face alarming rates of violence, being seven times more likely to be killed and 27 times more likely to be hospitalized due to family violence compared to non-Indigenous women. Recent data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare indicates that 67% of First Nations individuals aged 15 and over who experienced physical harm reported that the perpetrator was a partner or family member. These statistics underscore the critical need for effective interventions and support systems.

The Guardian

Our Ways Strong Together aims to centralize efforts to combat violence by integrating the experiences and insights of First Nations women, men, and gender-diverse individuals. Aunty Muriel Bamblett, the inaugural director, emphasized the organization’s commitment to ensuring that strategies do not remain unimplemented. The organization plans to collaborate with existing services across various sectors, including housing, health, education, and youth services, through the Coalition of Peaks, which is responsible for guiding Closing the Gap policies.

The Guardian

The Albanese government has committed $218.3 million towards a national plan to reduce violence against First Nations women and children, with Our Ways Strong Together representing community-controlled organizations that have long supported survivors. The government stated, “Strengthening the community-controlled sector is an important part of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, as all governments work with communities to end family, domestic and sexual violence.”

The Guardian

Despite the positive reception of the initiative, advocates have pointed out that the issue of family violence is often under-reported and that funding for prevention programs has historically been inconsistent and fragmented. Aunty Muriel Bamblett noted that national media attention on violence against First Nations women tends to be sporadic and often influenced by current events, which can lead to a lack of comprehensive understanding of the issue.

The Guardian

• “We have advocated for justice to say: you need to do better with policing. You need to do better with courts, with responses to our women, and to understand all of the policies, the murdered and missing women, the human rights violations. There’s so much in this,” — Aunty Muriel Bamblett, Director of Our Ways Strong Together

The Guardian

• “If we don’t record it, we don’t understand it.” — Aunty Muriel Bamblett

The Guardian

The establishment of Our Ways Strong Together marks a significant step towards addressing the pervasive issue of family and sexual violence against First Nations women and children in Australia. By focusing on community-led solutions and improved data collection, the organization aims to foster a more effective response to this critical social issue.

The Guardian