The truly tragic reality of child suicide and domestic violence in the Northern Territory should shock us out of our neglect and apathy towards our indigenous communities (“Suicide among children at alarming levels” The Saturday Age, 11/2.) The facts of this pervasive violence reflect only too clearly that we all should and must accept responsibility for this tragedy, and understand that violence against another or self is not a problem solved by millions of dollars. We know only too well in Western affluent societies that domestic violence sadly touches all socio-economic levels; blaming alcohol abuse or drug dependency misses the point of why so many are indulging in them in the first place.
The violence is symptomatic of a malaise that demands our urgent understanding so we can address the underlying causes.