Missing and Murdered First Nations Women and Children Assignment 2

Structure:

Your submission should be structured as follows:

1. Introduction

The introduction should include:

• Begin with a short introduction about yourself and your interest in the topic (optional);
• Provide an overview of the issue will address;
• Identify the "terms of reference" you will respond to;
• Outline the main arguments you will adopt;
• Identify your recommendation.

2. Background:

This section must provide the appropriate context that will guide your analysis of the terms of reference. The background section should explain the broad issue and relevant social context.cv

In this section, you must:

• Define the issue
• Provide statistics and explain trends.
• Identify the impacts of the problem

3. Research Analysis

Theory and evidence relevant to the inquiry/terms of reference.Your arguments should be based on responding directly to at least one of the "terms of reference" (you can address more than one). This section should contain the relevant research and analysis that informs your position on the issues raised in the "terms of reference". This should include engagement with the set readings from the course, the suggested readings from the assessment folder, and your own independent research. This should not simply be a listing of research on the topic. You must present relevant research and analyse the significance of that evidence. This means you need to explain what the research means in connection to your argument about the "term of reference" and its connection to your theoretical position on the issue.

4. Conclusion/Recommendation

This section should:Conclude your thoughts after analysing all the evidence
Provides a realistic recommendation that responds to the specific "terms of reference" and issues that you addressedSupport your recommendation with evidence

Case Study

Kumarn Rubuntja was a respected Aboriginal woman, a founding member of the Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group, and an anti-violence advocate who was killed by her partner in Alice Springs on the 7th of January 2021 in the hospital car park in Northern Territory. On the day of her death, Kumarn and her partner Abbott had been drinking at the Gillen club earlier that evening. Abbott became aggressive, demanding the money won on the pokies. The security guard approached and escorted the couple out of the Gillen Club. Kumarn expressed her concerns about his aggressive behaviour, stating he was too intoxicated and causing trouble. Witnesses at the club also heard Kumarn saying in an Aboriginal language that she felt unsafe to go with him; however, despite her pleas, she ended up going with him because they were disturbing the peace at the club and had to be removed (ABC News, 2023). Later that night, he ran her over with a car several times in the hospital car park.

Her death highlights the multiple forms of violence Indigenous women face, including physical, emotional, and economic abuse, occurring in both private and public spaces (Blagg et al., 2018). It also highlights the failures across policing, social services, and communication against First Nations Women. Despite Kumarn’s status and advocacy work, she was ultimately let down by systems that ignored her vulnerability and failed to respond to repeated reports of harm, as evidenced by the 22 calls to police over her 20-month relationship with her partner, Abbott. Moreover, Anthony and Blagg (2021) argue that violence directed against Indigenous women is ingrained in various systems of racial and gender dominance, not only interpersonal. They call this "colonial gender violence," a structural kind of harm driven by the denial of resources, of a lower-class community’s safety system, and the neglect of Indigenous victims. This can be seen from Kumarn’s visibility as a leader despite being an advocate working to tear down violence in her community; the policing around her community failed to provide safety. Instead, her experience shows the institutional neglect of Indigenous women within systems of justice and care. Patterns of police inaction and neglect are noted by Baird (2023) in her examination of the Northern Territory investigation.

The institutional system failed to act repeatedly, even when the hazards were known. These results line up with studies by Anthony and Blagg (2021), who show how institutional systems often overlook race and gender that shape Indigenous women's experiences of violence. The case of Kumarn Rubuntja examines how institutional structures continue to undervalue the lives of Indigenous women by failing to act. It underscores the need for transformative justice and advocacy models, increased intersectional support services, and effective community-driven responses that centre the areas of safety for Indigenous women, their sovereignty, and voices.