A new report from an internationally recognised human rights organisation has highlighted the disproportionate rates of child removals from Aboriginal families in Western Australia.
Titled 'All I know is I want them home', the Human Rights Watch report details the explosion in the rates of Aboriginal child removals over the last two decades.
It also highlights how the state government has been "quick" to remove children from Aboriginal mothers fleeing domestic violence situations or without appropriate housing, rather than providing "appropriate services" to those women.
Human rights lawyer Dr Hannah McGlade said the situation is a continuation of the "horrific history" of the Stolen Generations.
"We did put up quite a battle years ago for Aboriginal family-led decision making to be part of our laws in WA, and we were not heard," the Noongar woman told NITV.
"I think that's a big part of the issue, is that Aboriginal people are still not being heard."
The 86-page report heard from 54 people, including parents and grandparents who have had children removed by the state's Department of Communities.
Domestic violence was "the most common reason" cited for children's removal.
Many participants feared the department's response if they admitted they were experiencing a domestic violence situation, leading some to hide that reality.
A lack of emergency housing is recognised as a serious impediment to those seeking a more stable situation for their family.
"Western Australia ... has the lowest investment in social services in the country," said Catherine Liddle, chief executive of SNAICC, the peak organisation for First Nations children.
"Now where you have the lowest investment in social services, it stands to reason that you're going to have a higher rate of homelessness."
Less than five per cent of the state's budget for child protection programs goes towards family support programs, compared with the national average of 15 per cent.
“Aboriginal families are struggling with unstable accommodation, yet a secure home – one of the most fundamental needs for a child to thrive – is denied to them,” said Marianne Headland Mackay, a Noongar woman and National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project support coordinator.
“Instead of offering support to struggling families, the government’s approach is to remove children, causing more damage and deepening the wounds in our communities.”
In the 20 years from 2003, the proportion of children in out of home care who are Indigenous rose from 35 per cent to 59 per cent.
That figure translated to 3068 First Nations children removed from their families.
Ms Liddle said there were real people behind the numbers.
"Every single one of those statistics is a story about a human being and family, and multiple failures," the Arrernte Luritja woman told NITV.
"It probably means that that particular person lives in a family that was never given the opportunity to engage in school, never given the opportunity to engage in the workforce ... to live in a home environment with the supports that most people in Australia take for granted.
"It is well past time the WA government paid attention to that and listened to voices of their own community and said 'Let's drive change'."
