Voices from the margins Part 1: Narrative accounts of Indigenous family violence

Kierrynn Davis
School of Health and Human Sciences, Southern Cross University, Lismore NSW

Bev Taylor
Foundation Professor of Nursing; Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Southern Cross University, Lismore NSW

PP: 066 - 075

Abstract

The needs of informal supporters of rural women surviving domestic violence from the supporter's perspective were explored through the use of storytelling. Eleven women were interviewed. Of those eleven, three informal supporters spoke about supporting Indigenous women in family violence. These three stories have been grouped as a separate cohort and are discussed in two papers. Of the women who told stories of supporting Aboriginal women, two were Indigenous and one was non Aboriginal, although her partner was Indigenous.

It was clear from the stories told by these women that Indigenous family violence is situated in a context of a history and experience of colonisation and human rights abuses. Therefore, this article explores the context of Indigenous family violence and the second explores the strategies for strengthening support for Aboriginal families experiencing violence.

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Keywords

Aboriginal; Indigenous; family violence; domestic violence; colonisation


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