Federal Government Intervention in Aboriginal Communities - Case Study Example

Feminist Theory and Post Modern Theory Perspectives on Federal Government Intervention in Aboriginal Communities in the Northern Territory Name: Institution: 14th May, 2013. Identification and Analysis of the Federal Government Intervention in Aboriginal Communities in the Northern Territory In 2007, on 21 of July, the Government of Australia made an announcement of a national emergency response that was meant to protect Aboriginal children that lived in the Northern territory from sexual abuse and family based violence (Pampel, 2007). This is what is currently known as the Northern Territory (NT) intervention or in a simpler term the Emergency Response. The main cause of the establishment of this response was a report done by the Northern Territory Board that involved making inquiries about the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse. It had the title Ampe Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle which meant that ‘Little Children are Sacred’ (Bessant & Watts, 2007). Later on in the months that followed, the announcements were developed and made formal into packages that formed part of a Commonwealth legislation. The legislation was passed by the federal government and received a Royal Assent on August 17th of 2007. Commissions such as the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission welcomed the announcements by the government which was to act in order to protect the rights of the Indigenous women together with their children in the Northern Territory (Halberstam, 2005). Inherently, the Commission requested the government to adopt an approach that mimicked the Australia’s international human rights roles and mainly with the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Ritzer, 2008). This announcement by the government included a series of wide ranging measures which were to be introduced and implemented in these Aboriginal communities found transversely in the Northern Territory (Walby, 1990). They described it as a national emergency that was meant to confront the welfare of Aboriginal children in regard to the child abuse and family based violence. In reference to the minister’s announcements, the measures to be introduced were to stabilise and protect the communities found within the crisis area and all the actions therein designed to ensure that no child in the Aboriginal community is harmed (Habibis & Walter, 2009). The measures were to create notable shifts within the framework of social, cultural and legal landscapes of the Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. The measures by the Australian government were to be introduced in the following manner; Introduction of an extensive alcohol restriction on the Aboriginal land of Northern Territory. Introduction of welfare reforms that were meant to stem the use of excess funds on substance abuse instead of parents ensuring children’s welfare. Enforcement of school attendance and this was to be done by linking the level of assistance or support and payments for family assistance obtained from the government to attendance of school. This included providing meals for children at school at the cost of their parents. Introduction of compulsory health checks for all the children in Aboriginal communities in order to identify and cure health associated problems and any other effects of abuse. Acquisition of townships that were prescribed by the Australian government all through the five year leases and this included payments of just terms compensations. Improvement of governance by via through appointing managers in all the government’s businesses in the identified communities. Scrapping or removal of the permit system for road corridors, airstrips and common areas for specific communities within Aboriginal land. Improvement of the housing and the community living arrangement reforms in particular communities and the introduction of market based rents and obvious/ normal tenancy pacts. Ban of the possession of the X-rated pornography and the introduction of audits for all the publicly funded or facilitated computers in order to identify illegal materials. Immediately increasing policing levels in particular communities, inclusive of requesting secondments or support from other jurisdictions or authorities in order to supplement the resources of NT, under facilitation of the Australian government, and Marshalling local workforces via work-for-the-dole mechanism that intensified the process of ground clean up and repair in order to make the Aboriginal communities safe and healthy to live in. Similarly, the measures gave the Australian government powers to do the following actions as supplements; Establishing a complete strategy to embark upon ‘rivers of grog’ across the Northern Territory. Remove all the customary laws as a justifying factor for ruling and bail situations. Re-introduce over the town camps found in urban settings where a lot of breaching of the lease terms have been breached, as an action of Australian government in the event that NT government fails to act. Improving their effort and supplies to make sure that citizens are served and protected within the jurisdictions of the state and the Northern Territory government in addition to support, only limited by their own resources and the resources of the national emergency response team. Therefore these set of measures and actions entailed stemming of violence within families, improvement of housing, ensuring that each Aboriginal child had a right to access education and health services and more importantly the sexual abuse to children in families (Ritzer, 2008). The removal of Aboriginal laws that were seen as the legislations that condoned violence in families and inequalities in terms of employment and familial injustices between different sexes similarly brought about a lot of debate. Thus some, and not all, the recommendations from a little child is sacred report were implemented (Pampel, 2007). Feminist Theory Perspective on the federal government intervention in Aboriginal Communities in the Northern Territory Feminist theory is a theory that is often applied in the field of philosophy. It main objective is to seek to understand the nature of inequalities associated with gender. Its areas of application include examination of the roles given to women in the society or social roles, feminist politics or leadership positions given to women in political systems, the interest of women, and their experiences (Connell, 1995). More so, it relates to the fields of philosophy, literary, psychoanalysis, sociology and anthropology, education, economics, and communication. Whereas feminist theory generally brings forth a critique of relations in the society, it in addition majors on the analysis of gender inequalities and the encouragement of the interest of women (Walby, 1990). It is a theory that is based on two main fundamentals; doing a research on the position or condition of women in any society and similarly basing their research on grounds that women in the society generally experience or are exposed to subordination and include topics like discrimination of women, use of women as sexual objects (objectification), aesthetics, art history, oppression, contemporary art and patriarchy (Habibis & Walter, 2009; Halberstam, 2005). In regard to Aboriginal laws, women in the society were taken as less superior. As men sort to access education in schools, women were to remain at home and learn how to take care of their kids and husbands (Halberstam, 2005). In essence, a man, in the Aboriginal communities and as justified by the Aboriginal laws, was allowed to commit adultery and similarly marry several wives. In the event that a woman committed adultery, then the Aboriginal laws allowed for brutal punishments from the husband and in some extreme cases even punishment by death. As such, in Aboriginal communities, a woman had to live or define herself depending on the definitions that the society gave her (Connell, 1995). The society was then seen as a limit to the education of women and a source of unfair treatment or historical injustice to them. According to the measures and actions aforementioned within the jurisdiction or objectives of the Northern Territory interventions in the 73 Aboriginal communities, it is evident that the actions included the abolition or eradication of the Aboriginal laws that regarded men as superior in the society and gave equal access to education and health to all children in Aboriginal communities; where all children means both male and female. Similarly the introduction of the lease conditions by the intervention gave both men and women the opportunity of owning land within Aboriginal communities provided you could meet the conditions which Aboriginal laws reject and only allow men to own land (Pampel, 2007). Therefore, analytically, the intervention is looked at as being in line with the objectives of feminist theorists which seek to ensure that gender inequalities are eliminated in the society (Elliot, 2009). This is further substantiated by the idea that the Northern Interventions main aim or cause or rather source of legitimacy and implementation was the sexual abuse that was taking place in Aboriginal communities to children who are possibly women or of female gender and going without punishments in the Aboriginal laws over a long period of time (Ritzer, 2008). As such, feminist theorists viewed the situation or the Northern Territory intervention as a source of liberation to the female gender from the injustices supported by Aboriginal laws therefore supported it as an alternative to obtaining gender equality in the Aboriginal community (Halberstam, 2005). Post Modernism Theorists Perspective on the federal government intervention in Aboriginal Communities in the Northern Territory Postmodernism is a term that is commonly used in philosophy to refer to a movement or general opinion of a people (Ritzer, 2008). Postmodernist ideas came into existence between the 1950s and 1960s and were described with another term known as post modernity. It entailed a shift from the industrial economy to a service economy and this gives a connotation of rejection or re-evaluation of the Western value system. Therefore a Postmodernist theorist’s ideas are evidenced in philosophy to involve the analysis of culture and society, design and architecture (Connell, 1995). Therefore postmodernism viewed by philosophy as a form of rejection of objective truth and worldwide social progress (Bessant & Watts, 2007). In a simpler way, postmodernist theorists represented a shift from the modernism theory that held the idea that social progress would, with time, be inevitable and supported the notion that science and general knowledge would in the long run improve the world (modernism) (Ritzer, 2008). Because of the social progress and knowledge, modernism supported the idea of shifting the popular cultures of a people, marriage procedures, and love life together with a shift from a service economy to industrial economy. This shift represented a move from traditions to a western culture (Habibis & Walter, 2009). In regard to the Northern Territory Intervention in Aboriginal communities, the intervention represented a shift from using Aboriginal laws to adopting a new system of laws that were thought to be better and more protective to children (Habibis & Walter, 2009). As such, it was seen by Postmodernist theorists as a barrier of their principle of moving back to traditions. For instance, the NT intervention supported the idea of forcing the indigenous people in Aboriginal communities to sign leases in lands which they already owned, thereby grabbing land per say (Ritzer, 2008). Similarly both male and female children had to access equal education which was unlike the traditions of the Aboriginal community, therefore, as the feminist theorists support gender equality and the elimination of Aboriginal laws, Post-modernist theorist condemn the move by the Australian government to eliminate a peoples culture, tradition and laws via the NT intervention measures they undertake in Aboriginal Communities. Therefore, postmodern theory rejects the move and support a shift or movement back to the use of traditions contrary to the opinion of the feminist theorists (Halberstam, 2005). Discussion of the Different Ways the Issue is represented in Australian Media in Regard To Feminism and Postmodernism Theories. The media in Australia has beat up stories that involve traditional marriages and further suggested that the sexual abuse faced by children in Aboriginal communities happens as part of them thereby giving a connotation of Aboriginal culture; this supports the Postmodernism Theory. Therefore the abuse should be left to happen without an intervention because in is a culture as these theorists suggest (Mills, 1959). In this regard, there is need to highlight the contracts in terms of marriage in these communities. The typical marriage contracts between any two different families in the Aboriginal society took place without the consent or input or involvement of any man or woman (Elliot, 2009). Very young girls were often married to older men. Before a man could be allowed to marry, he had to be about thirty (30) years, while contrarily females were married off immediately or soon after birth or well before attaining sexual maturity. The system in line with Aboriginal laws or arguments was meant to give an assurance in form of protection to girls and women by experienced men as husbands, and similarly ensure genetic integrity in addition to healthy offspring or children by accepting marriages (only) between the ‘right skins’ (Halberstam, 2005). The girls were allowed to spend quantity time with their husbands or man but only allowed to establish a home or stay together after reaching puberty. Before the girl became a woman, traditionally the man was forbidden from having any sexual contacts with the girl. As such, rape in marriage contexts or sexual abuse was a rare occurrence and it was an offense punishable by death (Habibis & Walter, 2009). However, on the verge of white settlement in Aboriginal communities, and due to feminist theorists, the sexual contact age was raised from 12 years to 16 years and this only applied to a girl that has attained puberty and is married, therefore, sexual abuses could be viewed as part of an offence caused by social progress thereby necessitating the intervention or simply because of a tradition or culture therefore assumed and not referred to as a national emergency by the Australian government (Connell, 1995). Similarly, the Australian media described the intervention as a ‘revolution’, ‘takeover’, ‘crackdown’, and a ‘rescue plan’ (Halberstam, 2005). These descriptions seem to justify the claims of the feminist theorists by looking at the NT intervention as a form of liberation from the Aboriginal laws that harbour gender inequalities while demonising the mind-set of the post-modernist theorists that support a movement back into the traditions. It therefore affected the overall interpretation of members of the Aboriginal communities over the whole idea which enabled the Australian government accomplish its agenda (Elliot, 2009). Conclusion Inherently, it is point on to suppose that the NT intervention of the 73 Aboriginal communities had two sections; It can be looked at as a rescue operation or a moral cover that was aimed at converting the sexual abuse and violence issues and neglect of children by parents into a baseless reason to legitimise a hidden economic agenda aimed at attaining assimilatory neoliberal process depending on the perspective that one looks at it. References Ritzer, G. (2008). “Structuralism, post structuralism, and post-modern social theory”. In Modern Sociological Theory (pp.474-489). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. Connell, R.W. (1995). The Social organization of masculinity. In Masculinities (pp. 71-86). Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. Walby, S. (1990). Introduction. In Theorizing patriarchy (pp. 1-24). Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell. Halberstam, J. (2005). Transgender butch: Butch/FTM border wars and the masculine continuum. In W.K. Kolmarm & F. Bartkowski (Eds.), Feminist theory: A reader (2nd ed., pp. 550-561). Boston, MA: MacGraw-Hill. Habibis, D., & Walter, M. (2009). Classical theories of inequality and their modern developments. In Social inequality in Australia (pp. 15-32). Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Pampel, C. (2007). Impressions of everyday life: Georg Simmel and forms of social interaction. In Sociological lives and Ideas: An introduction to the classical theorists (2nd ed., pp. 139-157). New York: Worth Publishers. Bessant, J., & Watts, R. (2007). Sociology in an age of insecurity. In Sociology Australia (3rd ed., pp. 21-41). Sydney: Allen & Unwin. Mills, C.W. (1959). The promise. In The sociological imagination (pp. 3-24). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Elliot, A. (2009). The textures of society. In Contemporary social theory (pp. 1-15). London: Routledge. 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