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Yahoo
25-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Authorities admit guilt over 'heartbreaking' damage to sacred site: 'This place needs to be healed'
Park authorities exist to protect green spaces and vital ecosystems, but sometimes, they get things very wrong. In Australia, traditional groups have fought back after Parks Australia built a walkway over sacred rock art near Gunlom Falls in Kakadu National Park. National Indigenous Times reported Parks Australia admitted criminal liability after the organization's actions in 2019, and it has now applied for an authority certificate to work with Aboriginal groups to set things right. Citing Junggayi (traditional policeman) Joseph Markham, National Indigenous Times detailed that "Gunlom Falls sits at the bottom of Buladjang (Sickness Country), where the Bula creation spirit sleeps." "[Markham said] the men's site under Jawoyn law is forbidden for women but when the walkway was built over it, not only did it disturb Bula, it risked making women and children sick when they visited Gunlom Falls." Despite working alongside Parks Australia and coming to an agreement that any plans would be built around and above the sacred site, clan groups were devastated to discover that the area of construction had been changed by a project manager who "did not understand the significance of [the walkway's] route." Rachael Willika, a Bolmo traditional owner, told the National Indigenous Times that Parks Australia "shattered" her spirit, noting that the organization needs to pay a "big price" for the damage caused. "So that place we need it to be healed," she said in court. "This place needs to be healed. This country needs to be healed." According to the Guardian, Parks Australia has been ordered to pay a $200,000 AUD fine for the walkway deviation. This is in addition to the $500,000 in compensation that traditional owners need to receive for lost earnings after the park was closed to tourists for five years since 2019 amid legal proceedings. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Park groups need to be mindful of how construction activity can impact the local community and the wider ecosystem. But we all need to consider our actions, too. That means respecting natural areas and leaving them as good as we found them — or better. Littering, vandalism, destruction of ancient art, and disturbing wildlife are all examples of things that should not be tolerated and that should be called out when we see them happening. Respecting Indigenous groups and nature is essential to ensure we can all live in harmony and continue to enjoy the many benefits that time outdoors can bring. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
GLOBAL INDIGENOUS: Rising child incarceration in Australia
Deusdedit RuhangariyoSpecial to ICT Around the World: Indigenous child imprisonment has risen despite evidence of its ineffectiveness in Australia, an Uyghur historian received a life sentence in the latest crackdown on dissent, Indigenous northerners are using traditional harvesting to combat food insecurity in Canada, and new funding will ensure fair nationwide access to diabetes technology in New Zealand. New data reveals 27 Indigenous children in Australia attempted self-harm in prison last financial year, the National Indigenous Times reported on Jan. 30. Australia is spending over a billion dollars annually on incarcerating children, with 460 Indigenous children and young people behind bars on an average day last financial year. Data from the Productivity Commission shows an increasing number of Indigenous children imprisoned, with 26.6 per 10,000 First Nations children detained in 2023-24, up from 25.6 per 10,000 the previous year. First Nations children make up 65 percent of all youth detainees. Those aged 10-13 are imprisoned at a rate 45.5 times higher than non-Indigenous children. Overall, Indigenous children are incarcerated at almost 27 times the rate of their non-Indigenous peers. Maggie Munn, First Nations justice director at the Human Rights Law Centre, called this a "crisis of mass incarceration," criticizing government policies for punishing children instead of addressing root causes. "For decades, First Nations communities have implored governments to take action on reducing the numbers of our people in prisons," Munn said. "Instead, governments have continued to punish our children with harsh punitive measures and ongoing trauma." Disturbingly, 27 Indigenous children self-harmed or attempted suicide while in custody, and another 135 received psychological or medical treatment without hospitalization. In October 2023, 16-year-old Cleveland Dodd took his own life in Perth's Casuarina Prison, becoming the first child to die in custody in Australia in over a decade. "It is deeply concerning that so many children are attempting to hurt themselves and take their lives while incarcerated," Munn said, according to National Indigenous Times. "Governments cannot continue to ignore their voices and calls from their communities for help. Our children belong in playgrounds and schools." The first public hearings into Australia's youth justice system begin in Canberra on Jan. 27, following calls for widespread reform. Data released Jan. 30 revealed youth detention costs rose to $908 million last year, nearly double the $544 million spent in 2014-15. Each child in detention costs taxpayers $3,320 per day – $1.12 million per child annually. "It is an incredible waste of taxpayer funds to spend over $1 billion a year locking up children," said Justice Reform Initiative Executive Director Dr. Mindy Sotiri. "This amount will keep increasing unless governments shift focus to community-led responses that address the root causes of crime." Queensland imprisons 45 percent of all Indigenous youth detainees despite having only 29 percent of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth population. The state has suspended the Human Rights Act to ease child incarceration, prompting criticism from legal experts. Natalie Lewis, commissioner for the Queensland Family and Child Commission, warned punitive policies perpetuate inequality and intergenerational trauma. The data does not account for Queensland's latest laws, which remove "detention as a last resort," a principle from the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody. Though child incarceration has declined in some states, Queensland, the Northern Territory, Tasmania and the ACT have seen significant increases. Sotiri urged investment in community-based programs over incarceration. "Australians deserve a smarter approach. Instead of pouring more money into prisons, we need investment in programs that strengthen community safety outside of prison and offer proven results." Uyghur historian Tursunjan Hezim, founder of the Orkhun website, was sentenced to life in prison in 2022 after Beijing shut down his extensive archive of Uyghur history, a security official confirmed, Radio Free Asia reported on Jan. 28. This sentence marks his second conviction. In 2009, he was arrested and sentenced to seven years in prison following unrest in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang. It remains unclear when he was released, but he was taken back into custody in 2022 at age 51 during the mass incarceration of Uyghurs that began in 2017. 'He is serving at No. 3 Prison in Urumqi,' a security official at his former school said, according to Radio Free Asia. However, neither the official nor the school's administrative staff knew the exact reason for his second conviction. Confirming Uyghur convictions and sentences is extremely difficult, as Chinese authorities do not publicly disclose such information. Since 2017, an estimated 1.8 million Uyghurs have been detained in Xinjiang, subjected to forced labor and human rights abuses, according to experts. While China claims these are re-education and job training centers, Western parliaments, including the U.S., have labeled the treatment of Uyghurs as genocide – a charge Beijing denies. Born in Aksu in 1973, Hezim graduated from Xinjiang University's history department in 1996. He researched Uyghur history, shared his findings in public forums, and was closely monitored by state security. 'Chinese authorities were never comfortable with Tursunjan because of his deep knowledge of history,' said his friend Erkin Sidiq, a NASA scientist. As a student, Hezim was detained and interrogated multiple times. After university, he taught at Aksu Prefecture No. 1 Middle School but was later reassigned to dormitory security due to his views on Uyghur history. During this period, Hezim created the Orkhun website, an essential archive of historical materials and a forum for Uyghur discussion. He also translated works such as 'The General History of the Huns' and authored academic articles. After the July 5, 2009, protest in Urumqi, the Chinese government shut down the website and arrested Hezim. Although he was later released, he was detained again in 2022 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Despite the website's shutdown, Uyghur computer specialists in exile recovered much of its archived material, Sidiq said. Indigenous communities in northern Canada are turning to traditional harvesting to combat food insecurity, emphasizing the importance of self-sufficiency and cultural knowledge, CBC News reported on Jan. 27. For Demian Lawrenchuk of Fox Lake Cree Nation, learning to hunt, trap, and fish from an elder was transformative, shaping his path and leading him to become the executive director of Food Matters Manitoba. 'I kind of laugh that I never heard the term food sovereignty until I came down to Winnipeg. For us, this is just a lifestyle,' he said. Food insecurity in northern communities is not due to a lack of food but systemic issues, such as dependence on expensive imported goods. Food Matters Manitoba's harvesters program, which Lawrenchuk's home community was among the first to join, pays and equips hunters to provide food for their communities. He sees it as a way to restore independence and strengthen communities. 'It creates opportunities for people to feed their families and neighbors while becoming pillars of their communities,' he said. However, the legacy of residential schools disrupted traditional knowledge, making it difficult for communities to reclaim self-sufficiency. The impact of food insecurity is staggering. The 2022 Canadian Income Survey reported that Nunavut had the highest rate in the country, with over 62 percent of people affected. In Iqaluit, the Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre serves between 300 and 500 meals daily to a population of just under 7,500. Co-executive director Joseph Murdoch-Flowers said food insecurity worsens each year. The center distributes boxes of country foods, such as caribou, Arctic char, and berries, and has opened a store offering bulk items at sliding price points. 'They're overjoyed when they come in and see that we have the quaq [raw frozen meat] table out,' he said. 'They also tell us that when they have country food, they feel healthier.' Traditional foods are not only culturally significant but also healthier than processed imports. Amelie Clark, a Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in citizen and diabetes educator, noted that reliance on canned goods contributes to high rates of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in Indigenous communities. 'These foods are natural. They're from the land, and yeah, they're healthy,' she said. However, southern perspectives on food security often focus on gardening, which is impractical in the North. Lawrenchuk emphasized that short growing seasons limit what can be produced. 'How much lettuce are you going to grow to feed an entire community?' he asked, according to CBC News. Investing in harvesters, however, has proven successful, producing tens of thousands of pounds of food annually. Supporting traditional food systems is not just about survival, but about reclaiming sovereignty and health. A nationwide rollout with a "fair" approach and "deliberate effort" is essential to ensure newly funded glucose monitors and insulin pumps reach all New Zealanders with type 1 diabetes, a senior health researcher emphasizes, Radio New Zealand reported on Feb. 2. Pharmac began funding continuous glucose monitors, insulin pumps, and other equipment for people with type 1 diabetes in October. The system automatically adjusts insulin levels based on blood glucose readings, providing crucial support for those managing the condition. University of Waikato lecturer Hamish Crocket called the devices 'life-changing [and] life-saving technology' with 'huge benefits' for people who might not otherwise have access. However, he warned that inequitable healthcare access persists even when treatments are publicly funded. 'International literature shows that minority ethnic groups and people with lower socioeconomic status are the least likely to get access in the first few years of public funding,' he said. Crocket co-leads a three-year, $1.4 million project aimed at addressing inequities faced by Māori, Pacific people, lower-income groups, and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. While Māori and Pacific people are less likely to have the condition than non-Māori and non-Pasifika, those who do often experience worse outcomes. 'Their glucose levels are worse, access to treatment and technology is worse, and the rates of complications are worse,' he said. He emphasized that automated insulin delivery systems show the greatest improvement for people struggling with manual diabetes treatment. 'Yet global literature shows they are usually the last to get treatment, and that's why we need an equity focus.' The project will identify barriers to access and explore ways to reduce them. Researchers will track glucose levels and hospitalization rates from October 2024 onward, comparing baseline data over the next two-and-a-half years. 'We will look at whether glucose levels have improved and whether hospitalization rates have decreased. If there's a difference, what role has access to technology played in those differences?' Crocket explained, according to Radio New Zealand. The team will also use National Health Index data to create a comprehensive record of all people with type 1 diabetes and link prescription data to measure uptake of funded glucose monitors and insulin pumps. Currently, the Virtual Diabetes Register does not distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, despite their vastly different treatment needs. My final thoughts are in Australia where the mass incarceration of Indigenous children is a national disgrace and a blatant violation of fundamental human rights. Children as young as 10 are being locked up at alarming rates, far higher than their non-Indigenous peers. This crisis is a clear reflection of systemic racism and policy failure. The devastating consequences, including self-harm, suicide attempts, and intergenerational trauma, demand urgent action. To address this injustice, punitive policies that criminalize Indigenous youth must be dismantled. Governments should prioritize community-led diversion programs that offer education, support, and culturally appropriate interventions. Raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility to at least 14, in line with international human rights standards, is essential. Children should receive social and mental health support, not imprisonment. Meaningful reform must be guided by the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. States must move away from incarceration and invest in prevention, rehabilitation, and restorative justice. Indigenous leaders, legal experts, and community voices should be at the center of these reforms to ensure sustainable and just solutions. Australia must acknowledge that Indigenous children belong in their communities, not behind bars. True justice requires dismantling oppressive systems that perpetuate their imprisonment and investing in programs that uplift and protect them. The cycle of harm will only end when governments listen to Indigenous communities and take decisive action to create lasting change. Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute $5 or $10 today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT's free newsletter.
