History of the Stolen Generations

In the 1900s, many Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities. It’s estimated that as many as 1 in 3 Indigenous children were taken between 1910 and the 1970s, affecting most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia. This all took place under past Australian Government policies. Taking children away from their homes, families and communities caused a lot of pain and sadness that still exists today. Stolen Generations survivors suffered a huge amount of grief and trauma, losing their connections to family, identity, land, language and culture. These children have become known as the Stolen Generations.

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The forcible removal of First Nations children from their families was part of the policy of Assimilation, which was based on the misguided assumption that the lives of First Nations people would be improved if they became part of white society. It proposed that First Nations people should be allowed to 'die out' through a process of natural elimination, or, where possible, assimilated into the white community.