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). | |
