Human Rights – Key Definitions
This tool provides key definitions and concepts relevant to human rights work. Understanding key definitions and concepts related to human rights is a starting point for pursuing a rights agenda in an organisation. These key definitions can be used as a reference point or included in organisation documentation and information in the form of a glossary or additional notes.
Deficit Discourse and Strengths-based Approaches: Changing the Narrative of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing – a report by The Lowitja Institute and National Centre for Indigenous Studies that explains deficit discourse and why it is important, as well as outlining strengths-based approaches and concepts in health.
Explainer: what is decolonisation? – an online article published by The Conversation that briefly describes colonisation and the counteraction of decolonisation.
Pursuing Implementation of Wiyi Yani U Thangani Dialogue Paper One – provides an overview of Stage Two of Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women’s Voices) and its aim to progress First Nations gender justice and equality.1
- Key definitions and concepts can be included in organisational documents and information to aid clarification and understanding. Ensure resources are acknowledged accordingly.
Decolonisation – aims to reverse and amend the physical, cultural and psychological damage caused by colonisation through action and privileging First Nations peoples’ voice.2
Deficit-based – places the emphasis on what people and groups are perceived to lack in comparison to others.
Deficit-discourse – portrays people and groups as deficient, blaming individuals or communities for problems, as opposed to society’s structures.3
First Nations Women’s Self-determination – actions and structural changes that redress power imbalances, reshape service delivery and foster political transformation.4
Ideology – a way of thinking that is often ingrained throughout society.
Paternalism – individuals or systems that exert control over others in the defence that they will be ‘better off’.
Patriarchal – a society or structure that positions and privileges men over women.
Strengths-based – builds on the existing strengths and assets (knowledge, skills, networks, family, identity) of people and groups.5
Structural Change – is underpinned by decolonisation and how systems can reflect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing.6 Findings from Wiyi Yani U Thangani suggest structural and systems change require:
new systems that are reimagined and rebuilt from the ground up and include First Nations women and girls’ knowledges and strengths;
shared stakeholder responsibility and accountability, and the ability to work cohesively to address issues identified by First Nations women and girls;
avoidance of paternal measures and deficit-based models steeped in patriarchal and racist ideologies;
strengths-based approaches that acknowledge First Nations women and girls’ skills and knowledges,recognise truth-telling and foster participation in decision-making;
simultaneous working across layers and interventions;
policy or legislative reform that disrupts deeply held views;
new and diverse perspectives, especially from First Nations women and girls with lived experience of harm within current systems, to transform the business-as-usual approach;
models designed and controlled by First Nations women and supported by policy, legislation and funding;
ongoing generational change; and
holistic and integrated approaches that address inequality. 7
Structural Discrimination and Inequalities – includes “the unequal value and distribution of power afforded to Western voices, knowledges, and institution, over the knowledges of First Nations”8 peoples and societies.
Australian Human Rights Commission, Pursuing Implementation of Wiyi Yani U Thangani: Dialogue Paper One (Canberra, 2020).
Mary Frances O’Dowd and Robyn Heckenberg, “Explainer: what is decolonisation?,” The Conversation, June 23, 2020, https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-decolonisation-131455.
William Fogarty, Melissa Lovell, Juleigh Langenberg and Mary-Jane Heron, Deficit Discourse and Strengths-based Approaches (Melbourne: The Lowitja Institute, 2018).
Australian Human Rights Commission, Pursuing Implementation of Wiyi Yani U Thangani: Dialogue Paper One (Canberra, 2020).
William Fogarty, Melissa Lovell, Juleigh Langenberg and Mary-Jane Heron, Deficit Discourse and Strengths-based Approaches (Melbourne: The Lowitja Institute, 2018).
Australian Human Rights Commission, Pursuing Implementation of Wiyi Yani U Thangani: Dialogue Paper One (Canberra, 2020).
Australian Human Rights Commission, Pursuing Implementation of Wiyi Yani U Thangani: Dialogue Paper One (Canberra, 2020).
Australian Human Rights Commission, Pursuing Implementation of Wiyi Yani U Thangani: Dialogue Paper One (Canberra, 2020).
Australian Human Rights Commission. Pursuing Implementation of Wiyi Yani U Thangani: Dialogue Paper One. Canberra, 2020.
Fogarty, William, Lovell, Melissa, Langenberg, Juleigh, and Heron, Mary-Jane. Deficit Discourse and Strengths-based Approaches: Changing the Narrative of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing. Melbourne: The Lowitja Institute, 2018. https://www.lowitja.org.au/content/Document/Lowitja-Publishing/deficit-discourse-strengths-based.pdf
Frances O’Dowd, Mary, and Heckenberg, Robyn. “Explainer: what is decolonisation?” The Conversation, June 23, 2020. https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-decolonisation-131455.