May 22, 2003

Aboriginal birth issues

I have been reflecting on the Alice Springs workshop I facilitated and in particular the issue of prenatal education for aboriginal women. Planning a suitable program for this group was a task undertaken by one group of participants and it raised some interesting issues.

Birth is seen very much as “women’s business” in Aboriginal society. Much of the education has been traditionally undertaken through observation and involvement in the life of the extended family, with elders imparting specific knowledge as required. Men have not been involved during the pregnancy or at the birth, and appear to play a minor role in baby care and child raising.

Much of this is changing, however, as Aboriginal people move in from the bush to town living, and family support systems shrink. Western ideas are being embraced as young Aboriginal people seek inclusion in the wider Australian way of life. Birth now occurs in hospitals, often far from family and friends. The traditional “women’s business” of childbearing is also breaking down in some places as men accompany their partners during labour and birth in hospitals.

During the workshop, I asked a “naive” question about parenting education for Aboriginal men, either with their women or through separate programs. I may not have put my question clearly, or perhaps it was felt I was being culturally insensitive, as my query was quickly dismissed and it was clear that this was not an issue to be discussed. In these “politically correct” times it is often difficult to raise concerns openly, especially about the Aboriginal community - “white” people may be given the impression that “it is none of their business” even though it may be our money, expertise, personnel and infrastructure that is trying to redress the problems that exist.

When I asked my question, I had in mind the fact that many of the Aboriginal women giving birth in Alice Springs are under age - they are as young as 12 years old. Many are pregnant as the result of rape or have been taken advantage of by men who would be regarded as breaking the western laws of the land . Rape and domestic violence are the unspoken atrocities that occur frequently in Aboriginal communities, and are probably linked to the break down of many of their traditional cultural practices through inappropriate western influences.

If pregnancy and birth remain strictly “women’s business” I wonder if we are inadvertently letting men off the hook and covertly supporting their right to take advantage of women through rape and domestic violence? I know these are hard issues to acknowledge, but why not tackle them openly so some remedies can be sought and the whole community involved? If men were required to take a more active part in the pregnancy, birth and parenting, would this impact on their behaviour by requiring them to shoulder some of the responsibility for their actions?

I am genuinely concerned about the plight of young teenage Aboriginal girls who are being subjected to rape and who have to take risks with their health through pregnancy at an early age. If these cases are hidden as “women’s business” it seems to me that men will never be held accountable for their unacceptable social behaviours and the Aboriginal community will continue to suffer. These things happen in white society as well, but at least white men may end up in court and find themselves jailed for these hostile acts against women. I know that the Aboriginal people have their own laws and ways of dealing with issues that affect their societies, but with the break down of these traditional ways, perhaps perpetrators of domestic violence and rape manage to fall through the cracks and get away with it.

This is a very touchy subject and I may be vilified for raising it, but forcing young teenagers to have babies before they have grown up themselves just doesn’t seem right to me. Involving the men and making them more accountable may be one small part of the solution to this disturbing problem.

Posted by andrea at May 22, 2003 08:26 AM

Comments

Hi Andrea: I would just like to endorse what you have said and add that it also is true for the aboriginal women of Cairns and I suspect elsewhere. This issue of sexual abuse of young women will need to be addressed, the documentation is there with the long history of sexually transmitted diseases that many of the women have. But it is such a sensitive issue and just so hard to address. Personally I think we as whites have to acknowledge or responsibility for the genocidal practices of our culture for the last 2 centuries that has directly (I believe) led to this breakdown in traditional ways. Maybe then aboriginal leaders can acknowledge this breakdown in tradition and healing can begin.

marilyn

Posted by: Marilyn Kleidon on May 26, 2003 09:45 AM

Comments

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