have been victims of sexual assault,
childhood sexual abuse, or family
violence. There is a lot of fear and
shame for these women survivors.
Often Koori women blame themselves
for their partner's violence...
family violence, often as children and then again as
adults. For some, their first contact with police was
as children when police had been called to family
violence incidents.
that "one in three Indigenous people are the victim,
have a relative who is a victim, or witness an act
of violence on a daily basis in our communities".
Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
over 25 years, living in households with children,
were a victim of threatened physical violence.
across the life cycle, and across generations.
This cycle is typified by periods in prison, which
entrenches trauma, family breakdown, contact with
child protection and out-of-home care systems,
homelessness, family violence, substance misuse
and mental health episodes. Our research
found that these inform further contact with the
criminal justice system, post-release breakdown,
reoffending and reimprisonment.
Key informant interview, Koori Programs and Initiatives
Unit, Specialist Courts and Courts Support Services,
Department of Justice, 15 February 2013.
State of Victoria, Department of Premier and Cabinet,
Report of the Protecting Victoria's Vulnerable Children
Inquiry Vol 2 (2012), 281.
Of these, 87 per cent knew the perpetrator. State of
Victoria, Department of Education and Early Childhood
Development, The State of Victoria's Children 2009:
Aboriginal children and Young People in Victoria (2010)
132, cited in Ibid.
consult with Regional Aboriginal Justice Advisory
Committees and Local Aboriginal Justice Action
Committees to develop rapid response case
conferencing/care teams for young Koori women
at the cautioning, early offence and pre-court
stages. These should link the Victorian Aboriginal
Legal Service, Support Link, Victoria Police
Aboriginal Liaison Officers Program and Aboriginal
Community Liaison Officers, Koori Education
Support Officers, Koori Youth Justice Workers,
Child First, family violence and health workers
(as appropriate) and provide supports through a
single care plan.
to trigger provision of intensive family support
and other early interventions for young Koories,
that the pilot program established by the Victorian
Aboriginal Legal Service, Victorian Aboriginal Child
Care Association and Jesuit Social Services be put
on a sustainable footing, with a view to this initiative
being made available in other areas of Victoria so
that young Koori women notified to the Victorian
Aboriginal Legal Services by the D24 referral
system may gain access to appropriate supports.
women leaving care who are at risk of entering
prison, that the Commissioner for Aboriginal
Children and Young People specifically address
post care and transition support for those in
contact with the justice system, in the Five year
plan for Aboriginal children in out-of-home care.
This should include the targeting of additional
resources via the Transitioning from Out-of-home
care Support for Aboriginal Young People Initiative.