The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Task Force on Violence was formed when the degree of suffering in many Indigenous Communities had reached a crisis point.

While the plight of Indigenous people has been highlighted in numerous state, national and international reports, many people found the current level of violence in Indigenous communities difficult to comprehend.

Although there has been much speculation about the causes of the violence being witnessed, the impact of history cannot be isolated in any discussion on its origins and the consequences of such violence in the lives of Indigenous peoples in the contemporary context.

In investigating the violence, members of the Task Force were advised that the strongest message that they could give to the Government and the public of Queensland is that violence in all its forms, whatever its locale and in any circumstances, is unacceptable, and both Indigenous and non -Indigenous peoples must work together to help in its eradication.