(OHP 1)
Bessy Flower was born in 1943 and at the age of 19 months was
forcibly removed from her mother's arms in the South-West of
Western Australia. Bessy spent 14 years of her life at the
Annesfield native institution where she was refused correspondence
with her parents and suffered ongoing sexual abuse. Not to mention
malnutrition and humiliation.
In 1788, aboriginal children like Bessy were first taken from
their families and placed in missions and institutions.(OHP 2)
But, it was only after World War 2 that the number increased,
because of the introduction of the "Assimilation Policy".
Earlier this century, many white people believed that Aboriginies
were an inferior race. This belief was 'supported' by scientists
who thought that each race was at a different level of development
in an ongoing process of human evolution.
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