Background Briefing programme: Making violence men's business
The blurb about this segment says:
In Central Australia traditional payback law is corrupted, leading to grog fuelled killings. Suicide has become a payback issue too. For the first time Indigenous men are trying to stop these escalating cycles of violence.
There were a couple of aspects which caught my attention in particular:
- the services tend to be focused on either men or women, but the main subject interviewed when I was listening, who runs a programme for men, commented that it was important to visit both sides of the street, so that the male-focused services do not forget the effects of violence on women, and the female-focused groups do not miss the motivations of the violent men;
- simple jealousy and insecurity was identified as an underlying issue, and the men's service was having success with an advertising campaign which focused on "do you feel not good? That can be bad for you/your family/the community/etc. Want to feel better?";
- many women didn't involve the police because they didn't want their families broken up - which came across as more than the tendency of some abused women to stay in abusive relationships, it was also a fear of having children taken away, which would quite probably be less likely to happen in the equivalent white family;
- there were some interesting comments for and against traditional, "payback" justice [1].
If you are interested in making this world a more peaceful place, it is worth a listen. If you have an interest in rights for indigenous people [2], or human rights generally, also have a listen.
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
Notes:
- See here, and keep in mind that prisons are a relatively recent development - only around five centuries old.
- Have a look here for some introductory information. If you'd like to do something to help, try contacting ANTAR or GetUp. That applies even if you're not in Australia, by the way ... there are lots of email campaigns you can help with ... think about it as an opportunity to practically apply your spiritual principles :) - and if you're already busy doing so elsewhere in life (e.g., Amnesty International, or charities such as Médecins Sans Frontières, or any of the many other worthy causes), that is great. If you feel you cannot get involved in a direct way (for instance, if that could cause cultural problems), then you can send good wishes :)
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Tags: violence, alcohol, drugs, emotions, human rights, indigenous,
First published: Tuesday 16th November, 2010
Last edited: Tuesday 16th November, 2010
