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The Stolen Generations

Category: Event
Date: 1910s
Date To: 1970s
Place:
State/Country:Australia
Subject Matter:Law - Policy and Justice | Reconciliation | Youth
Summary Information:

Between the 1910s and 1970s, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were forcibly removed from their families and communities. These children became known as the Stolen Generations.

Detailed Information:

Various state and federal government policies authorised the removal and assimilation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The children were intentionally separated from their culture, heritage and language in an effort to assimilate them into white Australia. Once removed, the children were often placed in institutions or with non-Indigenous families.


It is estimated that between 1 in 10 and 1 in 3 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were removed from their families and communities between 1910 and 1970. As a result, the Stolen Generations caused significant intergenerational trauma and loss among Indigenous Australians (Bringing Them Home Report, 1997; AIHW, 2018; The Healing Foundation, 2020).


Related Entries

Event
  • Nillumbik Shire Council Apology and Commitment to Aboriginal Reconciliation
  • Apology to the Stolen Generation by the Kempsey Shire Council
  • Apology to Australia's Indigenous Peoples by the Parliament of Australia
  • City of Moonee Valley Statement of Apology
  • Shire of Yarra Ranges Statement of Apology and Statement of Commitment
  • Jabiru Town Council Statement of Recognition, Apology and Commitment to Aboriginal Reconciliation
  • Bringing Them Home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families (1997)

  • References

    General Reference
    The Healing Foundation (2020) The Stolen Generations
    Media Release
    Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Indigenous Affairs (10 February 2008) Stolen Generations invited to Parliament for the National Apology
    Report
    Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (1997) Bringing Them Home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families
    Australian Institute for Health and Welfare (AIHW) (2018) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Stolen Generations and descendants

    Glossary

    Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Australia)

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