In March, three Indigenous women flew to Canberra in an attempt to draw attention to a horror story playing out in their communities. These were Alice Springs Deputy Mayor Jacinta Price; and Cheron and Meesha Long, cousins of 15-year-old Layla Leering, who died in 2017 after apparently being sexually assaulted in the Northern Territory. Layla’s death along with that of two other girls, Fionica Yarranganlagi James and Keturah Cheralyn Mamarika has been the subject of a coroner’s inquest, and has brought renewed attention to the threat that Indigenous girls and women face within their own communities. Unfortunately, the scope of that attention has been limited, because the narrative of intra-Indigenous abuse is seen as unfashionable to report.
TRIGGER WARNING:This story contains details that may be distressing to some readers
Multiple criminal offences may have been committed in relation to the suspected suicides of three teenage girls in Top End remote communities, the Northern Territory Coroner has said in an inquest report released on Tuesday.
The inquest examined the circumstances of the deaths of three teenage girls who died in 2016 and 2017: Keturah Mamarika aged 16 in Groote Eylandt; Layla Leering aged 15 in Bulla; and Fionica James aged 17 in Warruwi.
Presiding over the court, Judge Greg Cavanagh, has referred the investigations to NT Police for further investigation and potential prosecution.