Support djäkamirr: fund the delivery of cultural care & Birthing on Country for First Nations Australians

image of Support djäkamirr: fund the delivery of cultural care & Birthing on Country for First Nations Australians

Yolŋu and other First Nations women and families across Australia deserve quality maternity services that are culturally and clinically safe.

Human rights are being compromised by a lack of locally provided childbirth services in many remote communities across Australia. Women have no option but to travel hundreds of kilometres to access childbirth care in a faraway hospital. This systematically disadvantages remote and very remote living First Nations women. Care is often provided in a foreign language and in an unwelcoming environment. Women and families are stripped of their social support and lose access to cultural practices that strengthen wellbeing. Health ...

Yolŋu and other First Nations women and families across Australia deserve quality maternity services that are culturally and clinically safe.

Human rights are being compromised by a lack of locally provided childbirth services in many remote communities across Australia. Women have no option but to travel hundreds of kilometres to access childbirth care in a faraway hospital. This systematically disadvantages remote and very remote living First Nations women. Care is often provided in a foreign language and in an unwelcoming environment. Women and families are stripped of their social support and lose access to cultural practices that strengthen wellbeing. Health inequities continue, including much higher rates of low birth weight and preterm birth. Surely Australia as a wealthy and developed country can do better than this!

Join us in raising awareness about djäkamirr care and Birthing on Country maternity services.

First Nations djäkamirr (doula) are skilled companions providing cultural, emotional and physical support, information and resources for women before, during and after childbirth. There is high level research evidence that continuous support during pregnancy and childbirth improves perinatal health outcomes.

Birthing on Country maternity services are redesigned to be responsive to the needs of First Nations families. They privillege First Nations knowledges, embed community governance, implement continuity of midwifery carer, increase the First Nations workforce and strengthen families.

Government leadership & funding is urgently needed to provide djäkamirr care; and Birthing on Country maternity services in remote First Nations communities.

Learn more - https://www.birthingoncountry.com/djakamirr

Support Australian First Nations communities in reclaiming 60,000 years of birthing culture.

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Support djäkamirr care & Birthing On Country for First Nations Australians

163 emails sent

Now is the moment for Australia to address First Nations perinatal health inequities. Join our campaign to lobby politicians in supporting the benefits of djäkamirr care and funding First Nations Birthing on Country maternity services.

Find your local rep

Subject:

I am writing to express concern about Australian First Nations women and their diminished human rights in accessing culturally and clinically safe birthing and maternity care services. As my elected representative, I would like to know what you are personally doing to address these injustices.

I have recently watched the documentary 'DJÄKAMIRR: caretaker of pregnancy and birth' that highlights the poor treatment of Yolŋu First Nations women and families during childbirth; and the need for immediate action to resource culturally safe carers.

In many remote communities across Australia, human rights are being compromised by a lack of locally provided childbirth services. Women have no option but to travel hundreds of kilometres to access childbirth services in a faraway hospital. This systematically disadvantages remote and very remote living First Nations women. Care is often provided in a foreign language and in an unwelcoming environment. Women and families become stripped of their social support and lose access to cultural practices that strengthen wellbeing. Health inequities continue, including much higher rates of low birth weight and preterm birth. Yolŋu experiences and health outcomes highlighted in the DJÄKAMIRR documentary, are reflected in many hundreds of other First Nations communities located outside the catchment areas of city-based maternity services.  Surely Australia as a wealthy developed country can do better than this!

The DJÄKAMIRR documentary provides compelling solutions to how Australia can begin to address these injustices. It demonstrates a successful model of how Western and First Nations knowledges can be integrated and used to build capacity of local women as doulas. For Yolŋu First Nations people this is called being a djäkamirr- a caretaker of birth and pregnancy. Djakamirr (doula) are skilled companions providing crucial cultural, emotional, and physical support, information, and resources to pregnant women before, during and after childbirth. There is high level research evidence that continuous support during pregnancy and childbirth is associated with a reduction in costly interventions such caesarean sections; improved biomedical outcomes; cultural safety; and women reporting satisfaction with their childbirth experience.

DJÄKAMIRR reinforces international and Australian evidence that Birthing on Country maternity services can be safely returned to remote Australian First Nations communities. Birthing on Country maternity services are recognised as the best start in life for all First Nations families, are endorsed in National policy documents and have been shown to address entrenched perinatal health inequities such as reducing preterm birth by 50%, as well as increased antenatal care attendance and breastfeeding.

As my local representative, I am asking you to make representation to Commonwealth Ministers to ensure:
•	That Commonwealth pilot funding received for the djäkamirr can be used to legally pay them in a decolonised work model without financial, cultural or legal harms.
•	That endorsed recommendations (1, 2, 3 9, & 10) made by the Participating Midwives Reference Group to the Medical Benefits Schedule Review Taskforce are implemented
•	Investment in the building of community infrastructure (ie. First Nations Birth Centres) to support the delivery of childbirth services for First Nations families and communities, especially in remote areas.
•	Adequate funding to provide continuity of midwifery care for First Nations women and families especially in remote communities, that is able to meet population demand and is commensurable with current health inequities.
•	Ensure that midwives can access an insurance product to provide cover for women to labour and birth in any location in line with national consultation and referral guidelines

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