Ignoring Abuse of Aboriginal Women, Children

22/05/2006 0 Comments read Indigenous

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 22.05.2006 (IPS): Revelations of horrific levels of sexual abuse and violence suffered by women and children in Australia’s aboriginal communities have surfaced, even as the fifth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) is underway in New York.

A leaked confidential briefing paper by Nanette Rogers, government prosecutor in the Northern Territory, exposes how indigenous culture and close-knit kinship ties have helped create a blanket of silence over rampant violence against women and children.

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New Generation Sisterhood

09/04/2006 0 Comments read Gender

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 09.04.2006 (WFS): “I may feel like a little Black girl who can run fast, but I’m also a woman who followed her heart and achieved her childhood dream,” writes Cathy Freeman on becoming the first indigenous Aboriginal Australian athlete to take home an Olympic gold medal in the women’s 400-metre race at Sydney 2000.

Her sentiment reflects a feeling of power that many women in their 30s and 40s are experiencing. Born in Mackay in northern Queensland (Australia) in 1973, Freeman discovered her passion for running at the age of five and went on to win an Olympic gold medal.

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Walking for the Commonwealth

26/03/2006 1 Comment read Cricket & Sports, Diaspora, Features, Poliomyelitis

Neena Bhandari carrying the 2006 Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton on Elizabeth Street in Sydney. Photo credit: Brendan Read

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 26.03.2006 (The Hindu): On a balmy Sydney afternoon in November 2005, a phone call changed the way me and my family would henceforth celebrate January 26.

Throughout my growing up years, Indian Republic Day held a special significance. We would spend long hours practising national songs on the flute as our school band marched through the streets of Ajmer into the main city stadium. There was a sense of immense pride in witnessing the tricolour unfurl as we played the national anthem. The bundi laddoo we received after all the fanfare was over, continues to be my favourite.

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