Arguments for Aboriginal Child Protection
In most countries of the world, the level of democracy has reached recognition points whereby people have exclusive rights to express their democratic rights. Governments are made on the basis of the popularity of political parties and individuals who dominate these governments tend to make policies that protect their interests and those of their families. These individuals usually constitute the majority in the country and once they get into throne, they tend to disregard the positions of the minorities. In some cases, public policies tend to be discriminatory where social services and protection are offered to particular groups while others remain marginalized. For example, before the enactment of protection policies for Aboriginal children by the Australian government Indigenous mothers and their children suffered due to lack of efficient policies to protect them (Maximo, 2010).
A human rights tribunal in Canada ruled that the government is discriminatory on the matters of child welfare, especially the welfare of aboriginal children. This tribunal argued that federal government policy to provide welfare services do not ensure equality (Blackstock, Nations, and Society, 2016). The indigenous women and their children from NT (Northern Territory) in Australia suffered domestic violence and sexual abuse as a result of lack of legal protection (Maximo, 2010). This problem is encountered in various communities where the rights of the minority are disregarded. Aboriginal children deserve equal rights and welfare services with other children in the same region. Effective public policies are required to provide welfare protection to indigenous children who are socially marginalized in various communities. This essay will argue that Aboriginal mothers and their children have the same rights no matter their population. They contribute towards national growth and therefore they deserve similar treatment with the majorities.
Meaning of aboriginal children
The term aboriginal has been used to describe the characteristic of inhabiting a place since the beginning. It pertains to individual who constitute the indigenous people in a particular region. In Australia, the term Aboriginal is used to describe the indigenous people (Anderson and Wild, 2007). Mostly, when these people are the minority, they tend to be abandoned, particularly when it comes to public administration roles. Women and children continue to suffer exploitative cultural activities such as forced marriages, sexual abuse, and domestic violence due to lack of government support. In Australia, the government became sensitive to the plights of aboriginal children and initiated public policies to accord them protection against sexual abuse (Maximo, 2010). The government called for an emergency response after realizing that these children had been subjected to long periods of marginalization since constituted the minority groups in the country. This implies that if the government did not respond, Aboriginal children would be suffering even today. The level of government intervention in the welfare protection of these children cannot be estimated, meaning that these children are still marginalized to some extent.
Arguments for aboriginal child protection
Every child has the right to be protected by the law irrespective of whether they come from the majorities or the minorities. Marginalization and denial of equal rights to some children on the basis of their number in the country constitute violation of their rights. It is also worth noting that the future of a child depends on the manner in which the child was brought up. Children tend to acquire some traits through social learning, which can be destructive to the future of the country if measures are not taken to mitigate them.
In democratic countries, political leaders are chosen to represent people in various regions in the national government. Indigenous people usually have no representatives when they are the minority unless they get direct nomination. As a result, aboriginal people, particularly women and children, have their rights foreshadowed and are discriminated against in various aspects of public administration (Anderson and Wild, 2007).
Aboriginal children are often subjected to primitive cultures of indigenous people which include being forced to early marriages and sexual abuse. Additionally, these children get early exposure to alcohol and drug abuse depending on the cultural beliefs of their community. Consequently, they remain primitive as the children of the elites continue to get exposure to civilization. For example, before the Australian government intervened through public policy in the challenges of aboriginal communities, children were involved in substance and alcohol abuse as the families of the majorities continued to enjoy social developments (Anderson and Wild, 2007). Being part of the minority group is not a choice. Therefore, governments should not be discriminative during the provision of social services and welfare protection.
Aboriginal children deserve equal opportunities to access education and other social services provided by the government. In most cases, these children have their rights put to jeopardy merely because they have no voice in the formulation of public policies. Their family members lack enough financial support to help them acquire education since they are discriminated during employment. Additionally, these people spend large amount of their earnings on drug abuse to reduce stress of social discrimination, leaving less income to support of education of their children. Therefore, governments need to pay particular attention to the plights of the minority in their countries and address them accordingly. Being a child of aboriginal family should not warrant denial of social service and welfare protection.
Indigenous and other minority groups have significant contributions to economic development regardless of their number. Quality decision making is assessed by considering the limitations and critics of the decision which is possible with involvement of all representatives. Government policies should have special considerations for communities who cannot have representatives during policy making due to their small population. Additionally, the contributions of the indigenous communities to the economy should be recognized and accorded a fair share of government services. However, this does not happen in most cases. The aboriginal children have not been given opportunities to enjoy public services that can promote their social development. The denial of supportive grounds for child development is a violation of human rights. According to Maximo (2010), the future of a nation depends on how the current generations are nurtured. Thus, governments should design emergency response mechanisms to save the children from marginalized communities and upgrade their status to reach the level of the majorities for the sake of the future of their nations.
Public policies concerning children should be formulated to serve the interest of all children without discrimination. Governments have a responsibility to ensure the welfare protection is provided to all children in their country. Public services like health and education are fundamental to social development of children as well as the overall economic development. However, public policies do not serve all the citizens on equitable basis. Social inequality is prominent in various countries especially between the majorities and minority groups (Blackstock, Nations, and Society, 2016). The aboriginal children who constitute the minority groups lack the relevant public policy support to enhance their social development and their role in the society. Therefore, governments should realize the importance of every citizen in their country and their contributions towards the national growth. Aboriginal children and other minority groups should not be denied their rights as this has serious implications for the future of the nation.
Conclusion
Every citizen has their rights irrespective of their individual contribution to the policy making. Marginalization of some groups on the basis of their number in the country is dangerous and unacceptable. The protection of the well-being of all children should be made an integral part of every government policy. The protection of children welfare is crucial for the future of a nation. Therefore, governments should implement emergency response strategies like what the Australian government did to protect the future of minority groups in their countries.
Bibliography
Anderson, P. and Wild, R., (2007) Little Children are Sacred: Report of the Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse, pp.197-248.
Blackstock, C., Nations, F. and Society, F.C. (2016) Canada must ‘cease the discriminatory practice’ of child welfare services on reserves, tribunal rules.[online] Available at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/aboriginal/canada-discriminates-against-children-on-reserves-tribunal-rules-1.3419480 [accessed June 28, 2016].
Maximo (2010) The plight of indigenous Australia.[online]. Available at: http://www.eliluminador.com/2010/12/15/the-plight-of-indigenous-australia/[accessed June 28, 2016].
