You are connecting from Lake Geneva Public Library, please login or register to take advantage of your institution's Ground News Plan.
Published 3 days ago • loading... • Updated 1 day ago
Who is Kumanjayi Little Baby and why has her death caused outrage?
A 47-year-old man faces murder and other charges as nationwide vigils call for child protection reform after the five-year-old’s death.
Jefferson Lewis, 47, was arrested and charged with the murder of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby, who disappeared from an Alice Springs town camp on Saturday, April 25, and remains in custody on remand.
Northern Territory Minister for Child Protection Robyn Cahill confirmed three department staffers were stood down earlier this week following an internal investigation, as the government prepares to trigger a wide-ranging independent review of its child protection system.
On Thursday night, hundreds of mourners gathered across Australia wearing pink and lighting candles in Darwin, Sydney, and Alice Springs to honor Kumanjayi Little Baby and stand in solidarity with her grieving family.
Kumanjayi Little Baby's mother requested the public "grieve without any judgement" and asked that politicians not politicize her daughter's death, while vigil organizer Chay Brown emphasized the community's collective strength during this time.
Commonwealth Special Envoy for Remote Communities Marion Scrymgour stated "nothing was off the table" regarding reforms, noting the death occurred amid a failed prison system and chronic housing crisis leaving Indigenous families without stable homes.