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Saturday, July 04, 2009

Statistics of disadvantaged conditions

The Age recently published about the declining conditions of indigenous Australians:

  • "indigenous children were six times more likely to be abused or neglected than their non-Aboriginal counterparts"
  • "indigenous homicide rate was seven times higher than in the rest of the community"
  • "hospitalisations from domestic violence 34 times higher"
  • "Aborigines 13 times more likely to be imprisoned"

The Prime Minister describes the report that lays out these statistics as "devestating", and said the situation was "unacceptable and it requires decisive action." And he's right. In a prosperous nation, how can such conditions still remain unresolved at such levels?

But I wonder people would say about these other statistics from another part of the world?

  • 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes.
  • 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes.
  • 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes.
  • 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes.
  • 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.
  • 70% of juveniles in state operated institutions come from fatherless homes.
  • 85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home.

This is not a game of "beat that!" I just wanted to point out that all such statistics of declining and deplorable conditions are devastating and unacceptable. And not to be ignored for the sake of being politically correct. I'm just saying: these statistics cry out for help. How is that happening these days?

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