Grandmothers Against Removals will hold a week long 'National Gathering' at Matargarup, Perth WA

'Grandmothers Against Removals' (GMAR) is leading a conference at Matagarup, the Perth Tent Embassy from May 24 - May 30, to strategise for the future and to march on May 26

During May 24-30th, 2015, the 'Grandmothers Against Removals' will hold a week long National Gathering on the Forced Removals of Aboriginal children, from family, community and country.

The gathering will hold a National Protest on 'Sorry Day', May 26th, as this date marks 18 years since the release, of the 'Bringing Them Home' report.

This report detailed the horrors of the Stolen Generations in the 20th Century, and called for urgent action to stop the continued removal of Aboriginal children from their families by 'child protection' agencies.

Since 1997 however, the number of Aboriginal children being forcibly removed has increased more than five times, with more than 15,000 Aboriginal kids in foster care today.

In WA more than half of all children in 'care' are Aboriginal, despite being less than 5% of the population.

This is an urgent national crisis and affected families are fighting back.

'Grandmothers Against Removals' stand as representatives of Sovereign Aboriginal Nations and fight for restoration of their sacred children to their people.

Over the past 18 months the group has forced the issue into the national and International media spotlight, helped many families win their children back and forced negotiations with welfare departments in different states to recognise the importance of Aboriginal People in communicating the issues to the affected families.

'Grandmothers Against Removals' is appalled that WA Premier Colin Barnett is using "child protection" as an excuse to forcibly remove entire communities from their lands, recycling the same lies about child abuse used to justify the NT Intervention.

These forced closures will be systematic child abuse on a massive scale, which, will render communities dysfunctional, place more kids into foster care (1 in 9 aboriginal children are removed per day), place more adults into Drug and Alcohol abuse and will raise the rate of imprisonment even higher than it currently is, which will also increase the risk of more Deaths In Custody.

'Grandmothers Against Removals' is leading the conference and working in conjunction with Dembas Kalungas, which in Nyoongar language translates to, (Dembas)Grannies and (Kalungas) Children.

Staunch Nyoongar and Yamatji activist, Vanessa Culbong, speaks about the fight against the forced closure of Aboriginal communities across Western Australia and the inevitable escalation of forced child removal as a result - 20 March, 2015.

(Source: Olivia Nigro Youtube)

The gathering will aim to strategize for the future, and to march, on May 26th the national sorry day anniversary and will seek approval to unite the issues surrounding, Child Removals, which will enable the Grandmothers Group to format child services to incorporate concerns of aboriginal communities and include their expert Aboriginal advice.

Western Australia has been chosen as a focus for the conference to show solidarity with communities faced with forced removals and now with the current forced closures of over 192 Communities throughout Western Australia and South Australia.

These closures will have dire consequences for community members and in particular the issue of Forced Removals and other areas of Aboriginal Disadvantage.

We hope the National Gathering will assist and help build links between community and service providers, and enable the Grandmothers establish a National Alliance to combat our areas of disadvantage.

Your support is vitally important to help us fight for the right of children to live with their families and the right of all Aboriginal people to live on their lands and determine their own futures.Donations are urgently required to assist with the costs of travel, accommodation, food and other logistics for the conference.

Please give generously and spread this message through your networks.Donations can be made to:.'Grandmothers Against Removals' WA.BSB: 633 000.Account Number: 154 186 902For more information

contact:
Vanessa Culbong 0475 790 046 - Albert Hartnett 0478 166 033