Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women ‘nearly 11 times more likely to die’ due to assault

Focus is shifting to one group after shocking statistics revealed the serious danger they face as groups call for more to be done to enact a plan.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are nearly 11 times more likely to die due to assault than non-Indigenous women, a horrifying statistic has revealed as leaders call for a “stand-alone” plan to address the problem.

Our Watch, a peak organisation dedicated to eliminating violence against women and children, posted the horrifying statistic amid the National Summit on Women’s Safety and urged more community focus on the needs of Indigenous people.

The two-day virtual summit finished in Canberra on Tuesday which included the nation’s top cop saying men need to change if Australia is going to make any progress on women’s safety.

“Men need to change, you know, put simply,” AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw said.

Mr Kershaw was among the experts and advocates calling for change and outlining next steps to better address domestic violence and how to reduce violence against women.

Issues of gender equality in the workplace and in sporting organisations were highlighted among the key themes, including a recommendation for a dedicated plan to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children.

“There are no excuses. If you weren’t aware before, now you know,” Torres Strait Islander woman and co-chair of the National Family Violence Prevention and Legal Services Forum, Wynetta Dewis, said.

“Now it’s about acting to create that change and build into this national plan these recommendations that have been called upon.”

(1/2) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are nearly 11 times more likely to die due to assault than non-Indigenous women. This violence is perpetrated by Indigenous and non-Indigenous men.

— Our Watch (@OurWatchAus) September 6, 2021

A report from Our Watch, Changing the Picture, revealed “violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women occurs at higher rates than violence against non-Indigenous women and is more likely to involve severe impacts: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are nearly 11 times more likely to die due to assault than non-Indigenous women, and 32 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence-related assaults”.

“In Australia, Indigenous women are more than three times likely to experience violence than non-Indigenous women,” it said.

“Three in five Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have experienced physical or sexual violence by a male intimate partner.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are at far greater risk of exposure to family violence. More than two-thirds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults who experience violence share their household with children.”

Our Watch CEO Patty Kinnersly said the rates of violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women were “unacceptably high”.

“I am hopeful that people’s voices have been heard, that there is a pathway forward, that you can hear from these ministers that they’re talking about a commitment to the things that we’re talking about here: primary prevention, Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander people, the diverse experiences of victim survivors and children in their own right.”

At the summit on Monday, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar called on a stand-alone plan, saying: “It is evident that Indigenous women require a stand-alone plan, not to be just tagged on or added on.”

Women’s Safety Minister Anne Ruston told the ABC she will work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders to develop a “specific” plan.

“I heard loud and clear that the solutions for Indigenous women and children, particularly those in community, are going to require a whole heap of different initiatives and actions if we want to make a difference,” she said.

However, Ms Kinnersly questioned: “What does this look like in the plan? What funding follows? What commitments come from the government?”

Speaking to Sky News’ Kieran Gilbert on Tuesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said “there should be no politics in this at all”.

“This should just be about supporting the services and the resources that are needed, not just at a Commonwealth level but at a state level as well,” he said. “And, that’s what the national plan does. It brings all of those governments together, all of those agencies together.

“Now, we have put down $1.1 billion on women’s safety alone. That’s the biggest investment in a national plan there has been. But, I described it as a down payment.”

Ms Kinnersly – who is among 19 of a multidisciplinary advisory group for the next national plan – said discussions will take place in the coming weeks with reviews and edits to take place by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council.

“We weren’t having these conversations 10 years ago, we’re having them now,” she said. “And I want us to be in a significantly different place in another 10 years.”

Originally published as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women ‘nearly 11 times more likely to die’ due to assault