ANKARA

An indigenous Australian lawmaker on Monday called for an end to racism against aboriginal children as Australia marked the national aboriginal children's day.

"Today is National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day and I want to celebrate the strength, pride and Truth-Telling of our Young People as they lead the way to Blak justice," said Senator Lidia Thorpe, an independent aboriginal politician, in a series of posts on X.

This year’s theme, 'Little Footsteps, Big Futures', is a reminder of the courage and purpose our young people show as they walk the path laid by our old people.

"But we can’t celebrate our kids without naming their resistance - against a state that still wages genocide," she added.

Since the colonization of Australia by British settlers in 1788, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians have faced hardships, ranging from the loss of traditional culture and homelands to the forced removal of children and denial of citizenship rights, according to Australian Human Rights Commission.

In Australia, an estimated 50,000 children were forcibly removed from their Aboriginal families between 1910 and the 1970s.

"Our children are still being demonised, stolen from their families, and locked in cages. There are 24,000 Blak kids in out-of-home care, and child jailing is rising," Thorpe said.

"Racism kills our children - in their homes, on the streets and on their way home from school," she maintained.

"Let’s honour the strength, spirit and Sovereignty of our Young People - every day - and keep fighting for a bright, Blak future."

- Garma festival

The four-day Garma festival, Australia’s largest Indigenous gathering, concluded on Monday in the remote northeast Arnhem Land.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended the festival on Saturday to unveil the government's plan for "long-term prosperity" in Indigenous communities across the country.

It is an opportunity to share in the oldest continuous culture on Earth, Albanese said on X.

"The Government I lead is proud to stand with you, and to walk with you, side by side, toward a better future," he added.

It was the 25th anniversary of the Garma festival.

*Writing by Aamir Latif