From the 1890s until the 1970s, government policies forcibly removed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from their families, communities, Country and culture – policies ranged from ‘protection’ and segregation to assimilation and forced removal.
It is not possible to state with precision how many children were forcibly removed from their families by governments, churches and welfare organisations. These children were brought up in institutions by non-Aboriginal people. They were forced into the roles of domestic servants and labourers.
These children are known as the ‘Stolen Generations’, and the effects of these policies are still being felt by Aboriginal families today.