10 Dark Secrets Australia Doesn’t Want You To Know - Post found at BuzzFeed
*edit - note from Imagine* This is something i was never taught it school even though it is a part of my country's history. i feel like that is a crime and injustice. and hope that we can change. help me by re-posting this.
1. Highest rates of Child Suicide in the World.
Australia is home to the highest rates of Child suicide in the world. Please don’t be confused, this is not the national rate. I am talking about rates inside Aboriginal communities. 20 years ago, suicide in Aboriginal communities was unheard of, but with increased government pressure on remote communities it became more prevalent since the year 2000 and the numbers went off the charts after the governments military backed intervention (that breached human rights) started in 2007.
It was found that child suicide increased by 500% in 12 months after the intervention started. The Intervention is still happening now after the government decided it was worthwhile to extend it for 10 years.
2. Worlds lowest life expectancy rates
Life expectancy in some Australian Aboriginal communities is less than or equal to 3rd world countries in sub-Saharan west Africa (around 37-40 years).
3. Black Imprisonment rates 5-8 times higher than in South Africa during Apartheid
Incarceration rates of Black Australians are 5-9 times higher than the rate of incarceration for Blacks in South Africa during the last 10 years of Apartheid. This is the most complicated topic to explain. Of course there are some Indigenous Australians who should be locked up. However there are thousands of men and women who are in jail for breaking laws that only apply to Indigenous Australians (such as drinking laws). Many are also affected by mandatory sentencing laws which sees the power of discretion taken away from the judge and subsequently forces many first time offenders straight to jail. Other reasons include simply missing a court date due to travel requirements or ill health.
4. First attempt at Genocide
In 1911, 123 years after the British Illegal Arrival, the Indigenous population had dropped from 750,000 to just 31,000! The official explanation is “disease” but when you dig deeper you will learn of the frontier wars and massacres, many of which are documented but strangely denied and not recognized by the government to this very day.
5. Second attempt at Genocide (Breeding us out)
In 1997, the Australian Government found itself guilty of Genocide (Bringing them ome report).
The report focused on the policy known as the stolen generation (forced removal of Aboriginal children) after the report went public, all that was offered to victims and their families was an apology with no chance for compensation of any kind and right now in 2014 the Government is taking more children from black families than ever before!
The belief was and still remains that if a child is brought up in a white family they will go on to marry a white partner and the colour of their children and grandchildren will be lost within 2 or 3 generations.
6. War & Massacres
Most Australians will tell you that Australia has never been home to any wars. That is what is taught In Australian schools, but it is simply not true. From the late 18th century until the mid 20th century many wars and massacres occurred. Some conflicts lasted no more than a week while other conflicts lasted for over 5 years. Australians are proud of their recent war history overseas and it is commemorated each year, but when we try to honor our own black warriors who died on home soil, we are stopped by a line of police EVERY YEAR!
7. Australia Day is Invasion day
Australia’s national day (Australia day) is on the anniversary date of the illegal arrival of the English settlers. When you think of what this arrival meant to Indigenous Australians you know it’s not a day to celebrate and Australia refuses to change the date while at the same time claiming to be working towards reconciliation!
8. No Democracy for Blacks
When we try to have our voices heard by the world we are continually met by walls of police who together with the nations media, systematically silence us. What is the problem with peacefully marching through a park (pictured) on Australia day to remind people of the insensitivity it promotes? In May, when Prince William and Kate came to Australia many Indigenous Australians were removed from crowds and denied the chance to communicate (with protest signs) against the illegal occupation. Don’t preach democracy if you can’t let me be Aboriginal.
9. The Final Attempt at Genocide Happening Right Now
Lets see the facts:
Excerpt from the Convention on the Prevention and
Punishment of Genocide.
“Article II: In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
© Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
The government is still guilty of Genocide under part C and E of the convention on the prevention of genocide. Dark secret 5 highlighted how the government is now stealing more aboriginal Children than ever before. Now I want to shed some light on how the government is guilty of part C.
The government can no longer chain us up or contain us in concentration camps like in years gone by. So now they are trying to destroy our communities in a variety of different ways, in the hope that we will relocate to major towns. Here are some examples in point form:
- Cutting off basic medical needs.
- Ignoring needs for basic infrastructure such as public transport.
- Labelling remote communities as pedophile breeding grounds (In the media and with suggestive warning signs at the entrance of remote communities).
- Taking away community work programs.
- Neglecting aboriginal housing programs.
- Withholding and freezing bank accounts.
All of the measures have been implemented for one main goal. The government wants to completely put an end to Indigenous Australians living on our traditional home lands.
They want us in larger towns, living, working and following their western values. Reports show that we are far more healthier and happier when we live traditionally on our home lands, however the government does not respect our desires for health and happiness as that would mean, letting us stand in the way of their quest to mine our mineral rich land that we never ever want taken away.
What the government fails to understand is that our connection to our country is real and strong. No matter how dire our communities become we will never leave, but unfortunately the younger generation is failing to cope under the current neglectful measures now in place. Even children from war torn countries have more hope for the future.
This is truly the final attempt at Genocide on my people and it can only end in two ways:
- An international intervention to stop the illegal freeloading government.
*Allowing the illegal government to win and let our race die out completely.
10. Government censoring (My story)
Australia is a huge land and it has always been impossible to communicate and unite with all Indigenous Australians.
The world never heard our screams in the early days of invasion and up until now, most of the world is unaware of the history and plight of indigenous Australians. Many people believe that white people naturally come from Australia or they don’t even know that we (Aboriginals) still exist. But now social media has given us a way to have our voices heard. In the last 2 years many indigenous Australians have gained access to social media and I recognized that this would be a great way to bring our people together, share our stories and unite and fight against the oppressive government and restore hope for our future. Unfortunately the government also sees the potential for us to be successful in this way and
subsequently any facebook page with lots of public support that organizes nation wide rallies and protests suddenly becomes “blocked” to all Australians without any explanation.
Also pages that I run have continually been attacked with racist posts and pictures, while death threats have also been “In-boxed” on many occasions.
(*Edit - Another not from Imagine* while i dont 100% agree with everything that said in this article, i do know some of it is a sad fact about Australia that needs to be shared.
Now before you believe or dis-believe anything in this article I ask that you do your own research and come to your own conclusions. as i have, though this article is a good starting point for getting the message out there.)
For the rest of this article: http://www.buzzfeed.com/pemulwuy/10-dark-secrets-australia-doesnt-want-you-to-know-pz24