The European settlers of Australia committed genocide against the indigenous Aborigines, according to a survey concluded by a committee in Victoria.
According to this research, which was presented Tuesday in the Australian parliament, mass murders, diseases, sexual violence, kidnapping children and political assimilation led to the “almost complete extinction” of Aborigines by Victoria.
“This is genocide,” the report concludes.
Among the recommendations made by the Commission is the financial compensation of the Aborigines for the damage they suffered as well as the return of their ancestral land.
Victoria’s Prime Minister Jasida Alan thanked the Commission and assured that her government would “carefully consider” its recommendations.
The conclusions of the research “bring to light harsh truths and lay the foundations for a better future for all residents of Victoria,” she said.
Aborigines today
When the European settlers arrived in Australia in 1788 the Aborigines were about half a million. They are now only 3.8% of Australia’s population of 26 million.
Australia has long been trying to bridge the gap between the indigenous and the rest of the population in terms of health and prosperity.
Aborigines have a life expectancy of about eight years less than the national average, while the proportion of indigenous people in prisons does not stop increasing.
“Current economic inequalities and obstacles to the well -being of the first nations are a direct bequest of colonial practices and their exclusion -based practices,” the committee said in the report.
Source :Skai
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