<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/jun/19/an-indigenous-girl-asked-to-reconnect-with-her-culture-iher-pleas-were-ignored>
"It was a simple letter with a basic request, handwritten by a teenage girl
taken from her family and placed into a child protection system that a coroner
says is struggling with systemic racism.
“I identify as a proud Wemba Wemba women [sic] and would like the accociated
[sic] support that a young Aboriginal female should be provided with further
care. This is a human right,” she wrote in December 2020.
“I would like support with connecting with my aboriginal heritage, elders and
community, and I would like the aboriginal community to support me.”
Instead, the request – one of a series she had made to child protection
services to reconnect with her culture – was ignored. Seven months later, at
age 17, she took her own life while living in residential care in regional
Victoria.
The Victorian coroner’s court on Wednesday found the teenager, known by the
pseudonym XY, had been removed from her family, separated from her eight
siblings and had her requests to reconnect with culture ignored in what coroner
Simon McGregor said was a breach of her human rights.
According to the findings, the 17-year-old was under the care of Victoria’s
Department of Fairness, Families and Housing (DFFH), living in a residential
unit run by Anglicare in Bendigo, when she took her life in July 2021.
McGregor said the December 2020 letter was the “starkest example” of the
teenager’s “lack of voice” while in institutional care. XY also wrote that she
wanted support to be connected with her Aboriginal heritage and community and
raised concerns about being moved from a residential unit, which she said was
“the most supportive and place of least risk”, amid her deteriorating mental
health.
In response, DFFH reminded her of the importance of attending their care team
meeting but made no system or organisational changes. McGregor said it failed
to take her views into account.
He concluded that XY was disconnected from her Aboriginal culture while in care
and had no contact with her eight siblings, despite expressing a desire to do
so.
“The cumulative effect of the DFFH’s lack of action in pursuit of, and lack of
documented consideration of XY’s voiced care goals, unjustifiably breached her
human right to such protection from her legal guardian as was in her best
interests whilst she was still a child,” McGregor said."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
