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Bullying and violence within Indigenous communities come under the spotlight
"Lateral violence, also known as horizontal violence or intra-racial conflict, is created by experiences of powerlessnesCommissioner Mick Gooda says.
"It plays out in our families and communities through behaviours such as gossiping, jealousy, bullying, shaming, social exclusion, family feuding, organisational conflict and physical violence.
"Although it has its roots in our history, it thrives today because power imbalances, control by others, identity conflict, negative stereotypes and trauma, continue to feed it."
For this reason, Commissioner Gooda takes an in-depth look at lateral violence and its debilitating impact on the relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples in this year's Social Justice and Native Title Reports.
Both the Social Justice and Native Title Reports consider what lateral violence looks like in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The Reports also consider how policies, laws and programs have impacted on the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over the preceding year.
The reports are available at www.humanrights.gov.au/social_justice/sj_report/sjreport11/index.html and http://www.humanrights.gov.au/social_justice/nt_report/ntreport11/index.html