Servant Or Slave

2016 • 57 minutes

About this movie

In Australia, during the era of the Stolen Generations, thousands of Aboriginal girls were taken from their families and pressed into domestic servitude by the Australian Government. Servant or Slave follows the lives of five such women, stolen from their families and trained to be domestic servants and later forced into slave labour where they endured immense hardship, rape and even torture - coerced into remaining silent or even punished for reporting mistreatment to the local police or institutional authorities. Bringing to light the heartbreaking experiences of Rita Wright, Violet West, the Wenberg sisters Adelaide, Valerie (Linow) and Rita, Servant or Slave observes the strength and determination of these courageous women as they pursue justice for the crimes committed against them, opening up their stories for all to understand and acknowledge. 2016 No Coincidence Media

Ratings and reviews

Politically motivated, I am sure that there were many who were abused, however if the truth is to be told they in all cases were taken from a situation of physical and psychological abuse and yes in some cases returned to it. Aboriginal kids today in the majority still suffer at the hands of alcohol, drugs and physical abuse ranging from rape and all manner of every other kind of physical abuse, its not to say all it is fair to say many. The concept that we have today where it is considered racist to speak out and racist to ignore provides zero middle ground for cultural improvement and change, our pathetic acceptance that if you identify these kinds of things in indigenous societies is racist and bigoted ensures that this situation will remain an endemic part of indigenous culture, a persistent undercurrent of abuse that is ignored for ever as it is better to ignore it than be considered racist for speaking the truth. The women contained within this documentary without doubt are deserving of understanding however they are not alone in this issue as white girls suffered similar abuses in similar situations this is not just a black womans story.

I can't imagine why anyone would give this documentary 1 star, unless it was politically or racially motivated, in which case the opinion is highly irrelevant. There are some people in our society who believe that Aboriginal survivors should stop talking about the past. Why? Does it make you uncomfortable? Sounds like it should, and this is just the kind of documentary you should be forced to watch.