‘Aboriginal women are strong. They are survivors who have borne the brunt not only of all policies of colonisation enacted upon our people in this country, but also the ripple effects and trans-generational trauma for several decades. We have done so under extraordinary adversity yet we are still standing and we are still carrying on. And we are still amazing.’ – Celeste Liddel
Content warning: discussion of family violence.
VIDEO: Watch Archie Roach sing about domestic violence with his song “Walking into Doors”
Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experience disproportionately high levels of family violence. An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander woman is 45 times more likely to experience domestic violence than a white woman, 34 times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of domestic violence, three times more likely to be a victim of sexual assault. And 70 times more likely to be hospitalised for domestic violence brain injury[1]. Perpetrators of this abuse are both non-indigenous and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander alike.
PRAY ABOUT IT
Prayer written by Larissa Minniecon, Facilitator of the Common Grace Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Justice Team.
O Great Spirit whose voice I hear in the winds, I am your child, one of your many, many children. I request that your Spirit be with the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples suffering Domestic Violence.
O Great Creator, 60,000 years ago you created Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples to be the custodians over this great south land of the Holy Spirit. We know that today due to colonisation, loss of identity, loss of country and loss of culture, racism and generational violence our Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples suffer from extremely high family and domestic violence.
We pray for our women to be strong and resilient, to have the courage to speak out and seek help. We pray that our women and men will receive the support they need and address the issues of violence within all our communities. We pray that our children will live in peaceful and loving environments without violence.
Hear my prayer. Amen.
GO DEEPER
Watch Jane and Tom’s story (filmed in Doomadgee, Qld) here
Read more from Celeste Liddle on her blog here
Read ‘Ten Women We Need to Listen to About Domestic Violence’.
[1] Reporting on Family Violence in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Communities
