Stolen Generations

The term Stolen Generations ( English Stolen Generations ) refers to several generations of children of Australian Aborigines ( Aboriginal ), which were taken by the Australian government of their families. The forced removal of children usually " half-breed " (half -caste children) happened systematically officially from about 1900 until 1969. Ten to thirty percent of all Aboriginal children were affected.

Measures and reasons

After Aborigines had lost their land and access to water to the white settlers in the 19th century, their reserves have been assigned. There they remained largely dependent on food deliveries to the government. That the number of " purebred " Aboriginal decreased, but increased greatly the hybrids, sparked efforts with the governments of assimilating these hybrids, and to supply as workers of white society, instead they continue to remain in the dependence of state aid in the reserves. Then adopted various Aboriginal Protection Acts in the states of Australia either by Chief Protectors in South Australia and the Northern Territory or of Aboriginal Protection Boards in Victoria, Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland, which should form the legal basis for the removal of children. In Tasmania, there was no such organization or rules, as the Tasmanians were in fact as a nation no longer exists.

As a result, children were removed from their Aboriginal families, usually without a court order or proof that it was neglected children. Instead, children were torn arbitrarily and violently partly literally from the arms of their mothers. The children were placed in state institutions, missions and white families for adoption, where they would be educated as whites to later take a life in white society.

Reactions

Policy

After publication of the final report Bringing Them Home on May 27, 1997, the stolen generations gained worldwide attention. A Remembrance Day, the National Sorry Day, was established.

In August 2007 there was the first time a landmark judgment, the damaged as a child, Bruce Trevorrow zusprach a compensation of 525,000 Australian dollars. On 13 February 2008, the newly elected Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologized in a speech to the Australian Parliament for the Aborigines during two centuries wrongs.

Culture

The play stoles, which was written by Jane Harrison and premiered in Australia in 1998 and set out in Asia and in the U.S., is concerned with the fate of five Aboriginekindern that were taken away from their mothers.

Doris Pilkington, was awarded for the novel Caprice - a literary prize A Stockman 's Daughter 1996. She has published in 1996 the novel Rabbit-Proof Fence, which was filmed in 2002 under the title Long Walk Home and has the Stolen Generation on the topic. The novel depicts the escape of three Aboriginal girls from a warehouse, along the 3256 km long protective fence against the rabbit plague.

Archie Roach, who was born in Framlingham Aboriginal mission in 1990 released an album containing the tracks Took the Children Away. This song is dedicated to the theme of the Stolen Generation, reaching not only among the Aborigines great fame, but Roach won several awards with this song and received an award for the sales success of a gold disc.

The band Goanna brought out the song Sorry treated the fate of the Stolen Generation and known worldwide.

Also the movie Australia is concerned inter alia with this issue.