Everyone deserves culturally safe and dignified care, free of discrimination.
Our end-of-financial-year health justice campaign is shining the spotlight on discrimination in a range of healthcare settings from hospitals to prisons to offshore detention.
Another deeply discriminatory system is the increasing removal of First Nations children and the failure to heed the calls of families as to what is best for their babies. This is an important area of systemic injustice where we need to fight for change, especially to ensure First Nations mothers and children are able to access maternal health services without fear or discrimination.
It is heartbreaking to know pregnant First Nations women are avoiding prenatal care, afraid their babies will be taken, afraid their children will be forced into the discriminatory and broken out-of-home care system.
National Justice Project lawyer and Gamilaroi woman Karina Hawtrey
We are now joining the chorus of advocates across Australia raising concerns about the ongoing injustices within this system. Our views were shared in a contribution to a damning Human Rights Watch Report on Western Australia’s child protection system and we are only too aware of the shortcomings of other states and territories.
With the help of our incredible supporters, the National Justice Project is now able to expand efforts to call out the failings of the out-of-home care system and to stand proudly alongside First Nations families advocating for change.
We will soon be releasing a new position paper highlighting the areas of focus that the National Justice Project will be tackling to create impact and systemic change. We look forward to sharing with you our strategies to advocate for First Nations mothers and babies, families and community.
Please support our health justice campaign and join our fight for systemic change
