Amnesty International: Our Generation

If you get the chance, watch this movie. Whether or not you have a passion for human rights or the events affecting our country's indigenous people, this is a film to watch just so you can get a handle on what is not being publicized by the media. Australia has the worst reputation for respecting the needs of our First People and the film explains why. From the government's broken promises to the breaches of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that our government has signed, it's all there.

Sesame Street fights hunger

Last year Americans reached an all time high of poverty in 52 years according to the U.S. Census Bureau, with 46.2 million Americans living in a poverty conditions. That is why my little discovery through my phone's blog reader was so much more exciting.

On October 9 (yes, this Sunday!) Sesame Street is airing a primetime television special called "Growing Hope Against Hunger". The episode will introduce a new character, Lili, a 9 year old pink muppet who, along with Elmo, volunteers at a food drive, visits a community garden to obtain food, and discuss her family's hunger issues, among other things. Funded in part by Wallmart, it is the hope that this episode will begin to address issues about poverty and hunger in a way that a younger audience can begin to understand.


"Sesame Street" tackles poverty, (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-20116218-10391698.html)

Amnesty International: The Homelands

One of Amnesty International's major focuses running currently, until mid-late next year, is supporting the Aboriginal Traditional Homelands in the Northern Territory. With a focus on the Utopia homelands, Amnesty is looking at the deprivation of our indigenous people's human rights.

Utopia homelands are 260km northeast of Alice Springs and are home to approx. 1,400 of the Alyawarr and Anmatyerr people in 16 communities. However government responses to Aboriginal affairs have not once looked into the needs of these people, with policies such as the 2007 Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER), Closing the Gap and Working Future leaving Aboriginal Peoples with less control over decisions affecting them. In 2007, NTER was introduced by suspending the Racial Discrimination Act, as the policy applied for only Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, exposing 45,000 people to discrimination based on race. Measures implemented through this policy included alcohol bans and new powers for police, clearly discriminating indigenous human rights and equality. Other effects of government policies include allocation of funding pulled from homeland communities and replaced into growth towns; larger and more centralised locations away from these homelands. Funding in homeland areas does not cover any new housing, despite the fact that 500 communities make up the homelands with 35% of the population of Indigenous in Northern Territory.

The governments recommendations are that the Aboriginal People look to moving towards the 'growth' towns that are receiving funding, focusing on the benefits of mobility incentives. However, no consideration at all has been given to the unique strong ties that Aboriginal People have with their homelands, their 'country' being central to their culture and identity. Studies have shown that Aboriginal Peoples suffer much less from issues such as domestic violence and substance abuse when situated in their homelands over more populated communities.

Furthermore, these policies being put into place by our government fall below international human rights standards, as agreed upon in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; the rights of indigenous people to own, live on and develop their lands; to consultation and informed consent; and to culture.

It is the aim of Amnesty International to open people's eyes to these issues, and to pressure (for lack of a better word) the government to address these issues of the Aboriginal Peoples rights to their homelands.


Amnesty International Australia, August 2011, The Land Holds Us: Amnesty International Report Digest, Amnesty International Australia: New South Wales.

Welcome

So this is the second beginning of my blog, but this time I have an idea where I'm going with it. This is a blog about the happenings and issues that I believe are important, and should be discussed and resolved. Because this blog is formed around my opinion (although I will provide hard facts whenever possible) I'll give a run down of me and my interests to begin with.

My name is Rebecca Lilley, and I study psychology full time at university. I am new Christian, always having a belief for "something more", but I ask that you don't use this one word to judge me and everything that I talk about here. At high school I was head of our Service Committee, which ran charity events through the school. Helping others who are struggling is something I am incredibly passionate about and have always tried to ensure in everything I do. I am a member of an Amnesty International group run on campus at my university, and am looking at getting involved with the Red Frogs who help out many charities and groups as well. I will be updating the blog on what is going on in for me in these groups and discuss some of the issues that they come across.

I regularly read Frankie and New Internationalist whenever I can, along with Amnesty newsletters and reports, ABC and SBS news whenever I can and books on missionary among a whole different range. This is where most of my thoughts and opinions are being generated I guess.

But anyway, I would love if you stayed and had a read of what I have to say. Particularly if you get into a discussion or debate of what I have to say. But until then, read and form your own opinions of our society.