WUNRN
UN Works for Kids
*There
are more then 370 million indigenous peoples worldwide
*50% of the indigenous Australians are under 24 years old
*Indigenous youth lack good education resulting in high unemployment
AUSTRALIA - ABORIGINAL YOUNG WOMAN
BELITTA
Indigenous Issues - Life Challenges
- Belitta's Story
It is mid morning on
a weekday. A group of teenagers hang out in the street, laughing and fooling
around. Some carry spray paint cans-not to decorate a nearby wall with
graffiti. They use the spray paint cans to get high. It is a dangerous way to
escape the harsh reality of their lives; lives that are marked by poverty,
discrimination, and displacement. One of the teenagers is Belitta-a pretty,
young Aboriginal whose life is at a crossroads.
Belitta's Story
Belitta is a
tall, slim 19-year old who lives with her mother and two brothers in
Rockhampton, a coastal town in northeastern Australia. There is very little
work, and her family barely gets by. Shortly after her parents divorced, she
dropped out of school. She cites racism as one of her reasons for leaving. In
many ways, Belitta is a case study of the problems faced by indigenous youth.
There are
over 370 million indigenous people around the world-from the Inuit Peoples in
Canada and the Arctic to the Pygmies in Africa, the Maoris in New Zealand and
the Aboriginals in Australia.
The original owners of the lands in which they live, most have been displaced
and marginalized due to the loss of ancestral lands and water rights, dissolution
of culture and institutional discrimination. Many remain caught between two
worlds: a traditional way of life and the modern world.
In the
absence of a well-developed sense of identity and a strong support network to
reconnect indigenous youth to their culture, it is easy to see why so many fall
through the cracks. At only 19 years of age, Belitta sounds resigned. "No
matter where you go, it is hard for an indigenous person," she says. I had
dreams when I was a little girl, but as I got older, I started to realize what
it was like out there."
Belitta
spends her days hanging out with her "crew," talking, laughing,
drinking alcohol and sniffing paint. But she seems to have a special quality
that the others lack. Maybe it's the way she walks with long confident strides.
Maybe it's her steady, direct way of communicating. Deep inside, she seems to
know she can do more with her life.
A counselor
at Youth Trek, an organization supporting indigenous kids in Australia, noticed
Belitta's potential. "I think there are two ways in life she can go,"
he says, "She can either stay on the paint and end up I don't know where,
or she can make a switch in life and do some courses and job training." He
gave Belitta the chance to gain some work experience at the organization
talking to other indigenous kids about their difficult situations. Belitta
agreed to "give it a go" and scheduled an appointment for a job
interview.
Belitta
sensed that Youth Trek's offer was an opportunity to change. But sometimes
change is hard. Attending the interview meant taking a new path, away from her
friends and her usual lifestyle. She was hesitant, not sure where this new path
would take her. The uncertainty weighed on her.
The day of
the interview, she woke with a black eye. She and her friends had gone drinking
the night before and got into a fistfight. Embarrassed about her black eye,
Belitta had an excuse to skip the interview. Ever since she quit school, she
had stopped hoping. Her background and circumstances prevented her from believing
in herself and her dreams of a better life. While a small part of her had not
given up completely and wanted an opportunity, mostly she was scared of
failure. What if they didn't hire her? What if the job was a dead end? After a
talk with her mother and much thought, she finally decided to go to the
interview-black eye and all. And it paid off. She got a job offer and started
working.
What's Next for Belitta?
The job
training she received at Youth Trek helped Belitta see that there was more to
life than sniffing paint, drinking, and hanging out on the streets of
Rockhampton. Recently, she decided to join her father, the mayor of a
traditional indigenous community and to finish her education. Through
schooling, she has a chance of gaining confidence and overcoming the
disadvantages that so many indigenous youth suffer from. Perhaps she will learn
to dream again. However, the road will not be easy. Belitta, like all
indigenous people, will most likely have to deal with stereotyping and
discrimination for the rest of her life. It is the legacy all indigenous people
have to carry.
What Can You Do?
Begin by
learning more about the problems and challenges indigenous people face around
the world. Like Belitta, millions suffer similar discrimination and injustice.
The UN works in many ways to promote their rights. The recently established UN
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, which meets every year, gives indigenous
people a place to voice their concerns on the global stage. The Forum, the
Special Rapporteur and a Working Group all develop standards for governments
with indigenous populations, combat human rights abuses, provide advice and
increase international cooperation on resolving problems.
The
International Labour Organization, or ILO, was the first UN agency to deal with
problems faced by indigenous peoples. Other agencies such as WHO, UNAIDS,
UNFPA, UNESCO, UNDP, UNIFEM, UN-Habitat and the World Bank all work to deal
with different problems faced by indigenous peoples. Many other international
and national organizations also work to address problems.
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