Source : Perth Now news
Aboriginal Australians who were forcibly removed under policies that ripped them from their families and placed them into forced institutions suffer significantly poorer health and welfare outcomes.
These children were removed under accepted government policies during a period spanning from the 1910s until the 1970s and became known as the Stolen Generations.
A report shows survivors and their descendants experience significant health, psychological and financial challenges when compared with other Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Survivors are now an ageing population, with all over the age of 50 and about one third over the age of 65, according to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Stolen Generations survivors and descendants report.
The report, commissioned by the Healing Foundation and released on Tuesday, showed Stolen Generations survivors fare significantly worse than other Indigenous Australians on a range of health outcomes.
Survivors are almost three times as likely to have a severe or profound disability, twice as likely to have been admitted to hospital in the past year, twice as likely to report high psychological distress and almost twice as likely to have a mental or behavioural condition.
Compared with non-Indigenous Australians, the disparity is even more stark.
Survivors are six times as likely to have kidney disease, five times as likely to have a severe or profound disability, four times as likely to report high psychological distress and three times as likely to have poor or fair self-assessed health.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare spokesperson Martin Edvardsson said understanding survivors needs will be increasingly challenging as the population grows older.
“Many survivors and descendants of the stolen generations continue to experience significant challenges across multiple aspects of life including health, disability, psychological wellbeing and financial security,” he said.
The health consequences are far reaching with about half of Indigenous Australians aged 18 and over descended from Stolen Generations survivors.
Descendants are more likely to report high psychological distress, more likely to have had days without money for basic living expenses and are more likely to have been diagnosed with a mental health condition compared with other Indigenous Australians.
Compared with non-Indigenous Australians, descendants are almost three times as likely to have a severe or profound disability, 2.5 times as likely to report high psychological distress and twice as likely to not be employed.
The data revealed “very clear intergenerational effects” and the enduring impact of forced removal policies, Healing Foundation Board chair Steve Larkin said.
“This is a contemporary policy issue, not a historical one — survivors are still with us, they are ageing and require urgent access to culturally safe support in aged care, social services, health and wellbeing,” Professor Larkin said.
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