ANAIWAN woman Gabi Briggs shut down a Melbourne intersection when she locked herself in a metal cage in protest of the abuse of children in juvenile detention.
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Briggs and three other women took action as part of a Warriors of Aboriginal Resistance rally held at the State Library of Victoria less than two weeks ago.
A 2015 report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that more than half of all young people in detention identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
Briggs had visited her home in Armidale mere days before the protest and said that what she saw in her own community played a significant role in her decision to protest.
"I came home to Armidale just days before the rally and saw such a difference in how the community is growing, some of my own family members are at risk of juvenile detention," she said.
The women refused to move until their demands to shut down the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre were met, following disturbing footage aired on ABC's Four Corners program of young men strapped to mechanical chairs, stripped naked and assaulted.
All four women were forcibly removed at around 3am by police.
A royal commission led by NT Supreme Court chief justice Brian Ross Martin into the abuse of youth in the Northern Territory corrections system has been announced by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Briggs argues that royal commissions are an ineffective method for change.
"We wanted to bring attention to the plight of juveniles in detention, to highlight to fact that there have been many royal commissions into different issues but most have failed us.
I had a very emotional response to the footage and I believe it finally gave credibility to the claims of child abuse in institutions," she said.
Briggs believes that the institutionalisation of Indigenous youth is a national problem.
"As much as the rally was about those boys it was about my mob [the Anaiwan people] and it was very personal to me,” she said.
The non-violent protest attracted a crowd of more than 2000 people over the 13 hour period.
Briggs said herself and the other women were thankful for the support, but it was important to remember that those in detention often go without.
"People need to know that what we experienced in that space is not what these boys experience everyday and in solitary confinement.
It was very confronting for me in that space," she said.
