16 July, 2019

NSWALC Seeks United Nations Intervention to Address the Forced Removal of Indigenous Peoples

The NSW Aboriginal Land Council has called on the United Nations to implement policy to address the forced removal of Indigenous Peoples from traditional lands, whether that be through explicit or tacit government policy.

The recommendation was delivered in a powerful intervention speech by NSWALC’s Youth Advisory Committee delegate Elijah Ingram at the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 12th session in Geneva.

Mr Ingram pointed to alarming statistics generated by Amnesty International which highlight the extent of the problem here in Australia.

The report identifies that approximately 46 indigenous children out of every 1000 are living in state care due to forced removal. By comparison, for non-indigenous children, it is seven per 1000.

“The forced removal of Indigenous peoples from their traditional lands is an international occurrence that brings great distress to Indigenous peoples,” Mr Ingram told the EMRIP convention.

“Forced removal of Indigenous peoples leads to intergenerational trauma that impacts not only the persons removed, but whole families and communities, across many generations.”

Mr Ingram was supported by fellow Youth Advisory Committee delegates and NSWALC Councillors Tina Williams and Charles Lynch. NSWALC Chief Executive James Christian is accompanying the delegation.

On behalf of NSWALC, Mr Ingram put on record the following recommendations, encouraging governments to:

• In partnership with Indigenous peoples, implement policy and legislative regimes that uphold the right to life, physical and mental integrity, liberty and security of person for Indigenous peoples; and
• In partnership with Indigenous peoples, implement policy and legislative regimes that respond to the impediments preventing Indigenous peoples to remain on their traditional lands, waters and territories, with particular emphasis on the protection of the right of Indigenous people to practice and revitalize their cultural traditions and customs.

NSWALC will deliver a number of interventions during the course of the EMRIP session.

It will include an opportunity to speak with the United Nation’s Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

To view Mr Ingram’s intervention speech in full, visit the NSWALC Facebook Page.