Criminology Research Council grant ; (22/88)
The final report resulting from this research was published by NARU early in 1991 and is entitled Aboriginal Women and Violence. During the course of the research information was sought from Aboriginal women throughout the Northern Territory about their experiences of violence. Visits were made to four communities in Central Australia and four in the Top End. In addition, women in two camps, and in Darwin, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek were contacted. Wherever possible information was also sought from Aboriginal men.
Other sources of data were the various public sector agencies, government and non-government, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, concerned in some way with violence against women and its consequences. Interviews were conducted with employees and records were perused. Numerical data were scarce but some statistics were available from Northern Territory Government sources such as the police, courts and prisons and from hospitals and clinics as well as from non-government sources such as women's refuges.
It was found that Aboriginal women constituted only 11 per cent of the total population in the Northern Territory yet in 1987 they were the victims in 44 per cent of homicides. They were also disproportionately represented in police statistics of victims of assault and in health statistics of hospitalisation for injury due to assault.
Violence against women, particularly domestic violence, has been found to be prevalent in Australia and the experiences of Aboriginal women appeared in many ways to be similar to those of non-Aboriginal women. However far more Aboriginal women were victims of assault and the perpetrators, the majority of whom were Aboriginal men, included family members other than a spouse. Also weapons were used in more than 50 per cent of cases which appeared to be much higher than in cases of assaults on non-Aboriginal women.
The report stated that the reasons for the violence were in many cases similar to those found in other research concerning non-Aboriginal women. However, issues of alienation and poverty brought about by colonisation have to be considered in the case of violence against Aboriginal women and Aboriginal people themselves were unequivocal in citing alcohol as the principal contributor. They were also adamant that the violence experienced today had no counterpart in traditional society although cultural factors are often canvassed in defence of assaults against women. As one woman remarked: 'There are now three kinds of violence in Aboriginal society - alcoholic violence, traditional violence, and bulls hit traditional violence'. Women are victims of all three.
The attitudes of many public sector employees were found to be an important factor in affecting the assistance they offered to Aboriginal women who had been assaulted. Many held similar ambivalent ideas as have been found in the population at large concerning domestic violence and this affected their willingness to intervene. But in addition many believed that violence by men against women was sanctioned in Aboriginal traditional culture. These attitudes conditioned the actions of the police in responding to calls for assistance and of the courts in dealing with the perpetrators. Another inhibitor of effective action was the lack of coordination of the services of the various agencies dealing with violence.
It was found that Aboriginal women were becoming increasingly alarmed about the violence and the effect it was having on them and on their children. While the preference was still to seek help from appropriate relatives more women were seeking help from police and courts and many were going to women's refuges. However, alternative strategies were also being tried, such as community patrols or women's groups operating their own safe houses in communities. The need to find solutions to the alcohol problem was also high on the agenda.
It was recommended that Aboriginal people should be given every encouragement and assistance necessary to deal with violence, without impinging on their autonomy. However, it was also recommended that public sector agencies should develop coordinated policies for assisting Aboriginal women and ensure that these were carried out by employees. A further recommendation was that employees should be trained to recognise and deal with violence against women and particularly to understand the special situation of Aboriginal women. It was considered that a crucial factor for the success of any strategies was the employment of more Aboriginal women and improved consultation with Aboriginal people.