Good Example Of Argumentative Essay On The Differences And Similarities Between

How Australia and Canada Treated Aboriginal Youth

The Differences and Similarities Between How Australia and Canada Treated Aboriginal Youth
Canada and Australia face some difficulties in treating aboriginal population. However, the existence of such population and their contribution into the cultural heritage and development of nation makes those countries unique. It is obvious that this issue require special attention form the policy-makers of both countries. This population must be as much integrated into the society as possible but without any abuse or persecution of its culture, language and traditions.
However, throughout the history Canadian government treated the aboriginal population differently. They tried both to negotiate with Natives and to domesticate them. But they used to live the way they lived thus it often encountered rebels and opposition. For example he ban of potlatch ceremony was taken as an attempt to remove their right of self-governance.
The main attention was devoted to children and youth. Since the Juvenile Delinquent Act was adopted, Aboriginal children were treated equally in terms of crimes as any other children. But the crime rates remained high and suicides happened very often. The Canadian government provided effective police services that were “professional and tailored to meet the needs of each community” (Lithopoulos, 2007, p. 6).
Canada did whatever it took to improve the educational attainment of the aboriginal youth. However, some experiments with the assimilation failed. Thus the attempt to use residential schools turned out to be more disintegrating factor than integrating. These schools were meant to train young Aboriginals how to household and become productive members of society. But instead “children were taken from their homes and communities and placed in these distant residential boarding schools against their or their families' will” that resulted in deculturation and damaged self-esteem of children (“Aboriginals: Treaties and Relations”).
The idea of assimilation was the prominent idea of the Australian government as well. It was devoted not only to indigenous people but also to any migrant who came to Australia. Aboriginals were expected to give up their own language and heritage and accept new one by assimilating and integrating into society.
As the key policy of the country became the idea of assimilation the Aboriginal people in Australia were forced off the reserves and into the towns and cities. Many of them, especially young people expected to find a job, but instead they encountered humiliation and ignorance. In many rural areas the segregation became common thing. That is why assimilation did not work out. Indigenous people refused to give up their culture and their ancestors, while Australian society refused to accept them as they were (“What was the assimilation?”).
As for the Aboriginal youth, there were some laws adopted that governed their education and treatment. The NSW Aborigines Protection Act was introduced following crises in public schools. The aboriginal schools were established in NSW (Noyce, 2002). The white Australian society refused to send their children to study with indigenous children. As Korff (2015) mentiones “amendments to the Act give the NSW Aborigines Protection Board greater powers to remove children from their families for training as domestic servants.”

References

“Aboriginals: Treaties and Relations”. Canada in the Making. Retrieved from http://www.canadiana.ca/citm/themes/aboriginals/aboriginals9_e.html
Karff, J. (2015, February 25). Aboriginal history timeline (1900 — 1969). Creative Spirits.
Retrieved from http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/history/aboriginal-history-timeline-1900-1969
Lithopoulos, S. (2007). International Comparison of Indigenous Policing Models. Public Safety Canada. Retrieved from https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/cmprsn-ndgns-plcng/cmprsn-ndgns-plcng-eng.pdf
Noyce, P., Olsen, Ch.& Winter, J. (Producers) & Noyce, P. (Director). (2002). Rabbit-Proof Fence [Motion picture]. Australia: HanWay Films.
“What was the assimilation?” Skwirk Online Education. Retrieved from http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-14_u-120_t-328_c-1126/what-was-assimilation-/nsw/what-was-assimilation-/changing-rights-and-freedoms-aboriginal-people/stealing-a-generation-asssimilation-