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In My Blood It Runs: Children's voices and rights

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Indigenous boy speaks at panel event
In My Blood It Runs: Children's voices and rights

SUBJECTS:  Civics and Citizenship, English

YEARS:  9–10


Dujuan Hoosan is a 10-year-old Arrernte and Garrwa boy.

He grew up at Sandy Bore outstation and Hidden Valley town camp in Alice Springs.

Dujuan is an Angangkere, which means he's a traditional healer, a role that was passed on to him from his Country and great-grandfather.

Dujuan is the star of In My Blood It Runs, which is not just a film but also a social-change campaign that's driven by Dujuan's family.

To help Dujuan and his family's vision for change, the filmmaking team partnered with the Australian Human Rights Commission and Human Rights Law Centre to foster an opportunity for Dujuan to speak at the United Nations.


Things to think about

  1. 1.In September 2019, at 12 years old, Dujuan became the youngest person to address world leaders at the United Nations Human Rights Council. He travelled all the way to Geneva, Switzerland, with his grandmother and father to share his own experiences of the youth justice system and to build support for Aboriginal-led education models. He said: "My name is Dujuan, I am 12 years old. I am from Arrernte and Garrwa Country. I came here to speak with you because the Australian Government is not listening. Adults never listen to kids like me, but we have important things to say. I am the star in a new documentary, In My Blood It Runs. The film shows that I felt like a failure at school. I was always worried about being taken away from my family. I was nearly locked up in jail. I was lucky because my family, they know I am smart. They love me. They found a way to keep me safe. There are some things I want to see changed. I want my school to be run by Aboriginal people. I want adults to stop cruelling 10-year-old-kids in jail. I want my future to be out on land with strong culture and language. My film is for all Aboriginal kids. It is about our dreams, our hopes and our rights. I hope you can make things better for us. Thank you."
  2. 2.In his UN speech, Dujuan says, "Adults never listen to kids like me, but we have important things to say." Do you think children's voices are heard in the international media? Do you think children's voices are heard at home, in the classroom or in the community? Why or why not?
  3. 3.When, where and how does society hear children's stories? Which stories are told? Who speaks on behalf of children? Are children usually the authors of their own narratives? What important things might young people know or be able to talk about – to provide new perspectives for adults to learn from? How might a child's story of their family, community and life experiences be different from stories told from an adult's perspective? How and why might there be a difference between children's interpretations of the world compared to adults' interpretations? Why is it important to actively recognise and respect children's rights to freedom of expression? When answering this question, you might like to consider Article 13.1 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which specifies that: The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child's choice. Why is it important to actively listen to the voices of children and young people, including the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people?
  4. 4.If you had an opportunity to address world leaders about a matter that's important to you, what would you say? Why? How? Consider writing a letter or speech to the United Nations, perhaps in reference to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. What would you like the adults to know? What would you like them to think about and do?


Teachers

This resource is an excerpt from the In My Blood It Runs ATOM guide. You can download the full guide and find more information about the associated impact campaigns and additional education resources here.


Date of broadcast: 5 Jul 2020


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation 2020 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

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