13 September – Anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People

In July 2024, during the 17^th Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia, members recognised the failure of the Voice referendum has been felt very strongly in most Congress  communities.

First Nations people are looking for another way forward including support from the churches and the Uniting Church has responded by committing to being guided by the Articles of UNDRIP.

By endorsing this document as an Assembly, we commit ourselves again at this time, to its principles, including that of self–determination, in our relationships with the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) and all First Peoples in Australia.

On 9 September 2024, members of the Uniting Church alongside First Peoples grassroots leaders and members from the broader ecumenical community, met at Indooroopilly UC, to discuss our Hope for the Future: Aboriginal Youth Justice and Human Rights amidst the  shocking abuses of human rights suffered by First Nations children alongside non-Indigenous children and young people in the name of youth justice.

Of all children and young people in Youth Detention in March 2024, 55% identify as being Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (There Were, n.d.), despite Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples representing only 3.8% of the total population (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2024)

Too many First Nations children are trapped in systems not of their making and we continue to fail them at alarming rates.

Psalm 55:17 teaches “Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice "There is always hope amidst struggle when we hear the word of the Lord and seek to work and walk together in Unity for reconciling justice for all peoples.

Across, our church, there are stories of First Nations children’s and families’ lives being transformed through community informed social justice practices and initiatives, which are given to us through the love of Christ, and we experience this within UAICC and other First Peoples congregations and faith communities.

The passage from The Uluru Statement from the Heart which always stands out to me is: “Proportionally, we are the most incarcerated people on the planet. We are not an innately criminal people. Our children are aliened from their families at unprecedented rates. This cannot be because we have no love for them. And our youth languish in detention in obscene numbers. They should be our hope for the future.”

This week, we ask you to offer your own prayers for First Peoples children and their families.

Or, you can join us in offering the below prayer for Justice through Jesus:

Holy Creator God, you gave us your son Jesus,
so that through Him, we might welcome and know your love for us
You teach us to love one another, as we do ourselves
and to act with compassion for others
We witness the injustices across our nation, and yet we continue to fail in our efforts to change the hearts and minds of those who hold decision making power
We pray for our children who live in fear, and we pray for healing of families
We call on you to use our outrage to strengthen our bravery and perseverance, so that we may keep the fires of righteous justice burning
We humbly ask that you make known to us, your way forward into us being a reconciling peoples, who seek justice for those we do not know personally,
but know are loved by you
Help us to act as Jesus would, so that your healing and restorative justice may be known by First Peoples who have cared faithfully for your creation for generations

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2024, July 24). Estimates and Projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2011 to 2031 | Australian Bureau of Statistics. Www.abs.gov.au. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples/estimates-and-projections-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-australians/2011-2031

There were. (n.d.). https://desbt.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/23581/yj-pocket-stats-2024.pdf

Article contributed by Kym Korbe, Koa, Kuku Yalanji, Wakka Wakka, Executive Officer UAICC and Covenanting, Qld Synod