I left my husband and got involved in starting up an organization called Link Up. We worked with the stolen generation, trying to help people reestablish their roots and find their own families. For the first time since I was four, I managed to find my mother. There is still a lot of racism here. And little will to do anything about all the problems Aborigines are struggling with, particularly, alcohol abuse.
Most Aborigines live in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
These states have introduced mandatory prison sentences for petty criminals as young as 16 years old. The United Nations and a number of countries protested, but Australia's Prime Minister John Howard has re fused to put pressure on those states to repeal the laws. The prirne minister has also been heavily criticized for his failure to criticize the forced separation of children from their families. In May, several hundred thousand people marched across Sydney Harbor Bridge to demonstrate their sympathy for the Aborigines, and strong protests are expected right outside the grounds of the Olympic Games in September. He has played a central role over the past 10 years in various government-appoimted committees on Aboriginal rights.