As January 26 approaches, Djirra wants to highlight the ongoing links between colonisation and family and system violence experienced by Aboriginal women.

Djirra CEO, Antoinette Braybrook AM, says the consequences of the violent invasion and colonisation of this country continue to impact the safety and wellbeing of Aboriginal  women and children.

“Colonisation continues to cause devastating disruption to our lives through violence, displacement and disempowerment, setting off a chain reaction of negative outcomes and systemic injustices that only get worse as time goes by.”

“In this country, Aboriginal women are seven times more likely to be murdered than other women. Our women are 21 times more likely to be incarcerated. Our kids are 22 times more likely to be removed from their mums, families and communities than other kids.”

Antoinette says this stark reality is a direct result of the ‘white’ systems we have been forced to live under since invasion; that these systems are racist and violent, and have contributed to intergenerational trauma, which has enduring impacts on our mental, emotional, and social wellbeing.

“Our people are more than just a statistic. We deserve to be heard and our lives must be valued. Our self-determined  solutions  must be invested in.”

“This Invasion Day, Djirra calls on you to SUPPORT US to write the next chapter of our own story. We don’t want or need others to write this for us.”

“A self-determined future is the only way forward, and the time for that is NOW.”  Antoinette Braybrook AM