Indigenous women are most affected by domestic violence but have struggled to be heard. It’s time we listened

Indigenous women have been calling for action on high rates of domestic and family violence for decades. Shutterstock^[9]

White feminists have pursued a law and order agenda^[10] that has been proven not only to be ineffectual, but potentially even harmful to Indigenous women. For example, coercive control laws risk misidentifying Indigenous women^[11] as the perpetrators of violence for not presenting as “ideal victims^[12]”.

As Aboriginal women with lived experience of violence, we continue to point out the urgency of addressing the abhorrent rates of violence^[13] through the inclusion of our voices at national forums^[14]. For years, Indigenous researchers, survivors, advocates and allies have called for action^[15]. This advocacy^[16], and expertise, is often overlooked.

Failures of policing

Governments promise to address the issue. Emergency services promise to do better. Yet in coronial inquests, inquiries and specialist investigations^[17], we continue to see the services with the mandate to protect the community failing Indigenous women. Indigenous women are reluctant^[18] to call the police for many reasons, including ongoing racism and prejudice.

Indigenous women know police may not take their reporting of violence seriously. This is common knowledge in Indigenous communities. Calls are often downgraded in urgency or not responded to at all, even after a victim has repeatedly calling triple zero for support. In many cases, Aboriginal women are wrongly identified^[19] as perpetrators, situations that have also resulted in their being murdered^[20].

Accessing domestic violence support services from remote communities is often delayed. Shutterstock^[21]

The Northern Territory coroner is currently examining the role systemic racism played in the murders of four Aboriginal women. The Queensland Commission of Inquiry also found racism, misogyny and sexism contributed to the negative experiences^[22] of victim-survivors. Cripps further found in her study^[23] coroners have previously identified systemic racism as being significant in the deaths of Indigenous women.

And while Aboriginal women are at an elevated risk of violence and homicide, culturally safe family and domestic violence services are critically underfunded or non-existent. This is neglectful. The National Family Violence Prevention and Legal Services^[24] has funding tied to federal government cycles and is unable to meet demand. It’s currently awaiting the government’s response to a review^[25] into the National Legal Assistance Program. This was finalised in March and called for an increase in recurrent funding to enable their services to provide crucial support to Indigenous women and children nationally.

One size doesn’t fit all

Indigenous women have long argued for systemic reforms that address the underlying drivers of violence, support victim-survivors, ensure justice and demand accountability for offenders. This means not every support service can be for all women. They need to be tailored to meet the specific needs of Indigenous women.

The presumption that one size fits all omits the unique factors in different communities across the nation. For example, some regional and remote communities face significant difficulties in accessing telecommunication services. At the same time, the connectedness of cities doesn’t automatically make support easily accessible.

The lives of Indigenous women are at further risk with delays due to distance and access to funds to escape unsafe situations. This was demonstrated through evidence^[26] supplied to the Queensland Commission of Inquiry. It found a high likelihood^[27] of death in some remote areas. Centralised call centres can be thousands of kilometres away, delaying access to help.

Research^[28] jointly led by Marlene Longbottom found accessible services need to ensure Indigenous women are not retraumatised as they share their stories. We should also remember the first responders in these situations are ultimately families. As a result of helping a woman fleeing a violent situation, families also become targets for perpetrators and their networks.

Policies should be tailored specifically to the needs of Indigenous families. Marianne Purdie/Getty^[29]

A key deterrent to reporting violence is that police are mandatory reporters of child abuse. Indigenous women know^[30] if they report violence against them, police and child protection working together can decide children are at risk and remove them into state care. There is a real risk of child removal^[31] as a consequence for Indigenous women who report violence, causing immense harm and trauma to mothers and their children.

While there have been changes that include service integrations^[32] and high-risk teams, the implementation of these services can often let Indigenous women down because they are not based on their needs.

As Indigenous women are rightly reluctant^[33] to seek support, systems continue violence^[34]. Not only must Indigenous women consider the safety of themselves and their children, they also have to navigate multiple services. These service systems are often challenging and overwhelming, and can also offer contradictory advice. This makes decision-making difficult.

When it comes to sexual assault, there are virtually no culturally appropriate services available to Indigenous women and girls, who are at high risk of such violence. According to the World Health Organization^[35], one in three Indigenous women globally will be a victim of rape in their lives. This is certainly true of First Nations women and girls in Australia^[36].

Increasingly, our homicide research is finding links between sexual violence perpetration and subsequent domestic and family violence deaths. It is crucial more research is done in this space to ensure we are identifying casual links and preventive opportunities.

Growing the knowledge base

A recent study^[37] by Hannah McGlade with the Australian National Research Organisation on Women (ANROWS), highlights the violence as systemic and structural, also constituting Indigenous femicide. Research on murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls by Indigenous researchers has been neglected by the state, yet is critical to understanding and responding effectively.

Greater investment is required in research by Indigenous researchers. We are part of a new research initiative^[38] that aims to address this knowledge gap.

Given the lack of government action over many years, Aboriginal women^[39], including the former Social Justice Commissioner^[40], have led national policy change. Indigenous women’s calls for a separate national action plan^[41], also supported by United Nations treaty bodies and experts, were finally heard.

This plan must be underpinned by Indigenous-led efforts in each state and territory, and including the establishment where needed of Aboriginal family and domestic violence state peak bodies. We say again “nothing about us, without us” and call for genuine engagement^[42] with the state and sector. There’s a lot of work to do to save the lives of First Nations women and it must start now.

Read more https://theconversation.com/indigenous-women-are-most-affected-by-domestic-violence-but-have-struggled-to-be-heard-its-time-we-listened-229720

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