Access Barriers for Indigenous Women in Justice

As First Nation Peoples, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have a singular place in Australia. However, a history of violence, dispossession and social exclusion experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has contributed to their over-representation in the criminal justice system and almost every other measure of social and economic disadvantage.
This short film outlines some of the barriers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders women face when accessing the justice system. Some of the barriers identified affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women exclusively; others are issues that affect many women experiencing family violence. However, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women may experience them more acutely because of trauma, racism, adversity and disadvantage, language barriers, cultural differences and social exclusion.

For further information on barriers to access to justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders women, refer to the JCCD Consultation Report - The Path to Justice: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Women Experience of the Courts which be accessed at www.jccd.org.au/publications

For information about the JCCD, visit www.jccd.org.au or contact the Secretariat:

secretariat@jccd.org.au

+61 2 6162 0361

PO Box 1895
Canberra ACT 2601
Australia