April 22, 2003
I want to tell you about someone, and then make a request.
When I was in Australia last year, I met a man named Ken Hampton. Ken is a 40-year-old Australian Aborigine who lives in the Central Australian town of Alice Springs. He is a counselor at an Aboriginal social service agency, an activist for the rights of indigenous people, a survivor, and a member of the Stolen Generations (for more information about the Stolen Generations, see the film Rabbit Proof Fence or look at the National Library of Australia’s web site, “Bringing Them Home Oral History Project”
http://www.nla.gov.au/oh/bth/ ).
I spent quite a bit of time with Ken, in workshops, trainings, and socially with his wife Yvette and their three young sons Yarran, Murrandah and Amos. We did newspaper and radio interviews together, and he introduced me to his culture and the problems facing his people. I left Australia feeling mightily impressed by this man. I believe that he has the potential to become an important leader of his people. And I’m not the only one who thinks so.
Ken spoke with me about generations of abuse and violence inflicted upon his people, and his dedication to improving life for his “mob” (Aussie slang for group or people). In a recent e-mail, he wrote, “Australia’s Stolen Generations and adult male survivors of childhood sexual abuse is a bubble that’s about to burst!”
Here’s an excerpt from an e-mail message I received from Ken just before last Christmas:
“It’s hard to feel joy at this time of year, as a lot of my mob are coming into town from remote communities for festive drinking bouts. They turn up here at work telling about the abuse that still continues out bush. From babies to 60 year old women (they don’t live past that age) who have numerous sexually transmitted diseases. I mean babies with gonorrhea! It makes me so **** angry and sad. Many people are too scared to expose the abuse happening out there, from fear and threats to their lives.
Being such an ancient culture, we still have people out bush (rarely venturing into town) who think ‘whatever white man does must be ok because white man is god.’ This way of thinking was instilled in them when colonisation first occurred. We have non-indigenous bloodsuckers (and some indigenous ones too) who take car loads of alcohol and child pornography out to these communities...They even resort to murder if anyone out there objects or threatens to expose the abuse. The abuse of anyone is sickening, but every time I hear of (or see) blackfella abusing blackfella, I feel like a part of me has been cut out and ground into the dirt...
I have a lot to do, I know! I just hope I’m up to the challenge with my limited skill and experience...My people out here are literally dying as a result of prolonged abuse, and recovery wise, we haven’t even scratched the surface.”
All the best,
Mike Lew
Author,
Victims No Longer: The Classic Guide for Men Recovering from Sexual Child Abusehttp://www.nextstepcounseling.org/whatsnew2.htm
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