Intervention slammed as police persecution
Sarah Smiles; 12/6/08
Some Aborigines have been subjected to extreme and discriminatory police powers as a result of the Commonwealth’s intervention in the Northern Territory, say two legal aid groups. Although the goal of the intervention was to curb child sex abuse, the organisations say they have not seen an increase in the prosecution of such offenders. Instead, police are targeting Aboriginal teenagers for under-age sex and issuing road fines. In a damning submission to a Senate inquiry, the organisations say the intervention has focused too heavily on law and order in dysfunctional communities while failing to invest in social programs to help alcoholics and offenders, including teenagers who have committed sex offences. They also believe a spike in homicides in Darwin stems from an “urban drift” of Aborigines to town centres caused by alcohol restrictions in some communities.
See: http://www.theage.com.au/national/intervention-slammed-as-police-persecution-20080611-2p58.html
Tags: Aboriginal, Australia, Reconciliation