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The State Coroner's report in November 2001 on the death of a
teenage Aboriginal girl at the Swan Valley Nyungah Community is a chilling
account of a young person's tragic life. In her short life this young girl
encountered sexual violation, violence, and the ravages of alcohol and
substance abuse. In desperation, and despite contact with several Government
agencies, she died in tragic circumstances at the age of 15. Coroner Hope
commented that this story is by no means unique and that sexual abuse of
children is endemic in Aboriginal communities throughout Western Australia.
In the aftermath of the Coronial Inquest the Government moved
quickly to establish a formal inquiry to provide advice on how best the
Government should deal with widespread sexual abuse and violence within Western
Australia's Aboriginal community. The report by the Inquiry, headed by
Magistrate Sue Gordon, ran to over 640 pages and made 197 findings and
recommendations. The
Gordon Inquiry Report (pdf = 4.5 mb) is an extraordinarily
comprehensive report, the thrust of which the Government strongly endorses.
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