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Original poster

Should the British and Australian Government issue an apology to women?

32 replies

GumballCharm · 06/10/2011 13:39

For the white slavery that went on during the settlement of Australia? I belive they apologised to the indigenous population and are still trying to right the horroble wrongs done to Aboriginal people.

Well I have been reading about what women convicts went through on their arrival to Australia and it's sickening.

The abuse of women went on for a long time in Australia...driven by the British government who allowed the females to be bought and sold as soon as they arrived....for prostitution. They were horribly abused and it seems wrong this hasn't been acknowledged.

OP posts:
OldLadyKnowsNothing · 06/10/2011 14:29

But it is admitted that these things happened, how else would we know about them?

Original poster
GumballCharm · 06/10/2011 14:27

That's right Sunshine....it's showing them respect.

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Original poster
GumballCharm · 06/10/2011 14:26

OldLady so what? They should admit that these things happened. By acknowledging them, they woul be assisting women towards an equal society.

They may all be dead but does that mean that their pain is forgotten? Does it mean that the events never made an ripples in the fabric of society? Obviously not because some people think it's worth writing about and others have made it their business to preserve the evidence of the awful things they went through.

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sunshineandbooks · 06/10/2011 14:24

The idea behind this is similar to the apology issued by Bristol for its part in the British Slave Trade. It's not about making an apology to the victims (who are all long gone) but about acknowledging that what went on in the past was wrong because the victims are equal to their 'masters' and should have had the same human rights.

By openly stating this it helps to build bridges between descendants on both sides and reduce the likelihood of future people from that group (whether they be women or black people) being future victims of other forms of discrimination.

That's my take on it, anyway (which I originally posted on completely the wrong thread Blush).

BranchingOut · 06/10/2011 14:19

I admit that I don't know much about this, but I think that an apology would not do any harm and might do some good.

Hurt can continue for a long time.

OldLadyKnowsNothing · 06/10/2011 14:08

What good would an apology do? The relevant women are all dead.

Original poster
GumballCharm · 06/10/2011 13:43

These women were part of the building of a nation. Their descendants populate the country now as do the descendants of the many orphans sent over there after Irish Famine....basiccally for breeding purposes.

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