The National Network of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls condemns the CLP Government’s continued failure to recognise that the majority of people in their prisons are, themselves, victims of violence, poverty, homelessness, and systemic neglect.
‘While Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby boasts of a $15 million investment to “put victims first,” the Finocchiaro Government continues to punish those very same victims once they are criminalised,’ said Debbie Kilroy. ‘Most people in the NT prison system — disproportionately Aboriginal women and children — have experienced domestic, family and sexual violence, often since childhood. Their trauma is compounded, not healed, by incarceration,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘We are not fooled by the rhetoric. Budget lines cannot obscure the fact that this Government chooses who is worthy of care and compassion, and who is not — and that choice is clearly shaped by racism, classism, and a deep contempt for the poor and marginalised,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
This announcement also comes on the heels of Minister Robyn Cahill’s appalling decision to axe the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Advisory Forum — a crucial body that brought victim-survivor voices and expertise into policymaking.
‘This move shows that the CLP Government is not interested in listening to those most affected, but rather in weaponising the trauma of victims to expand police and prison powers,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘The hypocrisy is clear: you cannot claim to support victims while simultaneously locking them in cells, punishing them for being homeless, unwell, or in poverty. You cannot say you are building a justice system while dismantling avenues for community input and frontline expertise,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘The National Network calls on the CLP Government to stop using victim-survivors as political props. If you truly want to stand with victims of crime, then start by listening to those in your prisons. Start by acknowledging the systemic conditions that have criminalised so many. And start funding real solutions: housing, healthcare, safety, and support outside the criminal legal system,’ said Tabitha Lean.
We will not stand by while another generation of women and children are punished for surviving.
For further comment, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 or Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226.
