NCJ Number
180385
Editor(s)
Kathy Garton
Date Published
1999
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This booklet presents a framework for working with adolescents to prevent domestic violence in Australia, a framework suited to rural towns with a large indigenous population.
Abstract
Family-based violence is a significant proportion of all violence within indigenous communities, so it is essential to involve families in the process of reducing violence. Indigenous children and adolescents are at greater risk of becoming involved in violence, alcohol use, sexual activity, sexual violence, and crime at an early age. There are few violence prevention programs designed specifically for indigenous youth. Strategies should be responsive to the uneven spread of human and capital infrastructure in rural and remote areas, the large number of vulnerable youth and their families in indigenous communities, and the stresses on indigenous youth as they attempt to balance traditional practices with non-indigenous values and institutions. Evidence shows that projects work best when they are operated by indigenous people. Models of intervention should be sufficiently flexible to accommodate differing regional and cultural contexts. Significant local variations in indigenous culture should be incorporated into specific action plans. The dynamics of indigenous family and kinship structure must have a central place in any strategy that addresses indigenous youth; this includes recognizing the influence of networks of "significant others," not just parents, on aspects of child socialization. Outcome and process evaluation findings are presented for a demonstration project in Derby (Western Australia). 30 references