New First Nations-led organisation to target hidden ‘scourge’ of family violence

A new First Nations-led national peak body will launch in Canberra on Wednesday to address family and sexual violence against Aboriginal women and children, following years of advocacy by Indigenous women's safety advocates. The organization will work with community-controlled groups to tackle violence rates that far exceed those affecting non-Indigenous women—First Nations women are seven times more likely to be killed and 27 times more likely to be hospitalized due to family violence than non-Indigenous women. Reducing rates of violence against Indigenous women and children is a priority under Australia's Closing the Gap target. The initiative represents a shift toward First Nations-led solutions in addressing what advocates describe as a persistent crisis affecting Indigenous communities.