Pain of forced separation affecting a new generation

Pain of forced separation affecting a new generation

A new report has found that the long term effects of past government policies to forcibly separate Aboriginal children from their families are being felt by Aboriginal young people today.

The Telethon Institute for Child Health Research today launched the second volume of findings from the Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey (WAACHS) which includes new evidence on the intergenerational effects of forced separations.

WAACHS Steering Committee Chairman Associate Professor Ted Wilkes said the report proved scientifically what Aboriginal people have known anecdotally.

"For many of our people who were forcibly separated, the pain is unresolved. They have long term health and emotional problems that have impacted in many ways on their own families.

"Many Aboriginal children were forcibly separated from their parents when they were under five years of age - the most crucial time of their development. They were then raised in institutions and had little idea about parenting and family structure.

"It's little wonder that some of them have struggled with their parenting or with alcohol or drug abuse. For others, their early experiences have stolen their Aboriginal identity and isolated them from their families."

The survey found that children of Aboriginal carers who were forcibly separated from their families:

• were 2.3 times more likely to be high risk for clinically significant emotional and behavioural difficulties
• had double the proportion of both alcohol and other drug use than other Aboriginal children

Assoc Professor Wilkes said the findings were of national significance.

"This really proves that the legacy of the government's policies is still a real issue for Aboriginal communities today.

"The ramifications reach even further than the devastating impact on the people who were forcibly separated - it's now clear that the suffering is being passed on to younger generations who are also paying a big price for the inhumane policies of the past."