SMOKING - Blog

Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse

Ms. Clare Martin, Chief Minister of Australia’s Northern Territory Government has announced the most comprehensive package to tackle Indigenous disadvantage in the history of the Territory.

‘Closing the Gap’ is the Northern Territory’s Indigenous Generational Plan, aimed at closing the gap in outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Territorians. It contains a vision and objectives for the future socio-economic wellbeing of Indigenous Territorians and sets ambitious but achievable targets for the next 5, 10 and 20 years. It also identifies priority areas for action in the next 5 years, based on the best available evidence of which actions will have the greatest impact.

On 15 June 2007, the Board of Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse (the Inquiry) released its findings. The Inquiry report included 97 recommendations across 22 themes, addressing the child protection system, as well as broader social and economic factors including housing, unemployment, offender rehabilitation, health, alcohol misuse and education.

While the Northern Territory Government supports the messages and recommendations of the Inquiry, additional areas need to be addressed if we are to overcome Indigenous disadvantage within a generation. ‘Closing the Gap’ goes beyond the recommendations of the Inquiry to provide a framework for overcoming Indigenous disadvantage.

The Northern Territory Government has committed AU$286.43 million towards 5 year actions to implement ‘Closing the Gap’.

This commitment includes:

• 1 Children’s Commissioner
• 10 child protection workers
• 37 additional specialist Family and Children’s Services (FACS) staff
• 40 Police - Remote Policing Strategy, Child Abuse Task Force
• 4 specialist alcohol rehabilitation workers
• 26 family violence support workers
• 10 community corrections officers
• 10 school counselors
• 47 teachers and assistant teachers for remote schools and preschools
• 3 specialist Department of Employment, Education and Training staff
• 1 Aboriginal and Islander education coordinator
• 2 court clinicians
• 1 witness assistance officer
• 8 alcohol compliance inspectors
• 23 specialist FACS staff for the Child Abuse Taskforce.

Legislative Reform

• Safety - Child Protection - AU$79.36m
• Safety - Policing, Justice and Family Violence - AU$38.61m
• Safety - Alcohol and Drug Management - AU$10.11m
• Health - AU$23.4m
• Housing - AU$42.32m
• Education - AU$70.68m
• Jobs - AU$13m
• Culture - AU$0.5m
• A Better Way of Doing Business - AU$8.45m

Full reports at; Closing the Gap

Measures announced by the Australian Government to halt child abuse in Indigenous communities of the Northern Territory

On 21 June 2007, the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, announced the following measures to combat child abuse in Indigenous communities in the NT.

• Widespread alcohol restrictions on NT Aboriginal land for 6 months
• Medical examinations of all Indigenous children in the NT under the age of 16 years
• Quarantining of 50% of the welfare payments to parents of children in the affected areas for the purchase of food and other essentials
• Enforcing school attendance by linking income support and family assistance payments to school attendance for all people living on Aboriginal land
• Taking control of townships through 5-year leases to ensure that property and public housing are improved
• Requiring an intensive clean-up of communities to make them safer and healthier, by marshalling local workforces through Work for the Dole arrangements
• Scrapping the permit system for common areas and road corridors on Aboriginal lands
• Banning the possession of x-rated pornography in the proscribed areas
• Increasing policing levels, and making law and order a central focus of the measures announced
• Amending NT land rights legislation

The Anderson Wild report of the Northern Territory Government

The 97 recommendations covered:

• Leadership by the federal and Northern Territory governments in consultation with Aboriginal people, government responses to ensure child safety, the role of the Family and Children’s Services program in the NT, and family support services;
• Health aspects, both crisis intervention and prevention through primary health care;
• Policing, police education, cooperation with the Family and Children’s Services program, support for victims, bail applications (when the alleged offence is sexual abuse of a child), and offender rehabilitation;
• School attendance, the role of communities, community education and awareness, and housing;
• Alcohol and other substance abuse, pornography, and gambling;
• Community justice;
• Cross-cultural training of staff; and
• Implementation of the report.

Prime Minister of Australia. Joint press conference with the Hon Mal Brough, Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous affairs, Canberra. Indigenous emergency. http://www.pm.gov.au/media/Interview/2007/Interview24380.cfm (accessed Jul 2007).

Anderson P, Wild R. Little children are sacred: report of the Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into the protection of Aboriginal children from sexual abuse 2007. Darwin: Northern Territory Government, 2007. http://www.nt.gov.au/dcm/inquirysaac/pdf/bipacsa_final_report.pdf (accessed Jul 2007).

This report from; http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/187_04_200807/rin10803_fm.html

Brain Chemicals Trump Willpower in Addicts

Understanding brain chemistry, not building up willpower, is the key to preventing adolescent alcohol and other drug addiction, according to Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA).

The Associated Press reported April 3 that Volkow said that adolescent brains are still developing and react differently to drugs than those of adults. Volkow, a researcher with a long history of exploring the brain circuitry involved in addiction, has been shifting some of NIDA’s research efforts toward examining how the brains of adolescents and people who don’t become addicted to alcohol or other drugs differ from the brains of those who do develop drug problems. "What is it that makes a person more vulnerable to take drugs or not?" said Volkow.

"Now we have Nora’s picture rather than a picture of fried eggs," said Joanna Fowler, a former colleague of Volkow’s at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. "We can go beyond that knee-jerk picture of a brain to a real brain … If you can conceptualize (addiction) as a brain disease rather than a moral weakness or lack of willpower, you can more easily bring resources to bear."

Former NIDA head Alan Leshner said Volkow has promoted the idea that addiction "has to be seen as a health issue as well as a criminal or social-justice issue. She has definitely moved neuroscience forward."

Volkow said she always has been fascinated in the brain and issues of free will. She noted that the brain is not fully matured until the early 20s, with the frontal cortex — the brain’s cognitive and reasoning center — the last to be finished. Thus, for teens, "to stand up and say ’I’m not going to do it’ is much harder than (for) an adult," Volkow said.

Brain immaturity may also explain teen risk-taking and why scare tactics can backfire in drug prevention. "It is that notion of ’I dare you,’" she said. "It may be appealing to an adolescent because they are seeking for danger in many instances."

Addiction is a complex issue. It affects every member of the family and can have a lasting impact on their lives. The effect on family members varies from person to person and family to family.

How Does an Addiction Develop?

Addiction is a process rather than an event. In the beginning, people often don’t experience any difficulties. As their use continues, they may begin to focus more on the alcohol, drugs or gambling than they do on the other areas of their lives. This process is often influenced by a number of factors, including the culture they live in, life events, their biological makeup and their relationships with family and friends.

Researchers have looked at genetics, environment, and the combination of these two to explain how dependence develops. Right now, it’s believed that some people are genetically susceptible to becoming dependent. But this by itself is not enough to develop an addiction. A person’s life circumstances play an important role in determining whether or not a person becomes dependent.

How Does an Addiction Affect the Family?

When a family member has a dependency, the whole family usually develops ways of coping with the problems associated with the dependency. Often, there is less communication: the family avoids talking about the issue, avoids expressing emotions, and may keep the addiction secret from the community. Some family members may take on some of the responsibilities abandoned by the addicted person.

While these coping strategies may help the family to operate more smoothly and get along better, they may also allow the dependency to continue. Unfortunately, family members may also use alcohol, drugs or gambling themselves as a way of coping with the problems in their family.

Members of an addicted family often experience loneliness, frustration, fear, anger and shame. They may also feel a sense of hopelessness about the situation. It’s important for them to realize that the addiction is not their fault. Often, seeking outside help from a support group or professional counselor can help them cope with what is going on in their family.

How Does an Addiction Affect the Children?

Addiction often creates an unstable family environment. Parents may not effectively discipline their children or provide them with training in basic life skills. Children may feel insecure or unloved. They may also begin to take on adult responsibilities that are not appropriate to their age. Children in families where an addiction is present are more likely to show anti-social behavior and have problems such as skipping school, aggressiveness, hyperactivity and eating disorders.

Is There Any Good News?

Living with an addicted person is not easy, but most children are resilient. This means that they can overcome these difficult circumstances and become strong, healthy adults. They build on their own and others’ strengths. For those who may have resulting problems, help is available. 

A good starting point is to talk to people who have experienced a family addiction or alcoholism. Contact Al-anon or Adult Children of Alcoholics/Addiction. Look in your local phone book or go to Al-anon.