This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Australia to pay millions in reparations to Indigenous “stolen generations” An Aboriginal flag is waved in Perth, Australia, on June 13, 2020. The Australian federal government on August 5, 2021, agreed to pay millions in reparations to the Indigenous children taken from their families. Photo: Trevor Collens/AFP via Getty Images Photo: Trevor Collens/AFP via Getty Images Between 1910 and 1970, Australian government officials forcibly took children from their homes. Many children were of mixed white and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ethnicity. They were sent to boarding schools and religious missions. About one in three Indigenous children were forcibly taken from their families across Australia. Eileen Cummings was one of those children. These thousands of survivors have been named the "stolen generations." Cummings was taken from her family in 1948. She was brought to a mission. She was just 4 years old. "They didn't say anything to my mom. They just took me," she said. By The Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.12.21 Word Count 423 Level 610L This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Now, over 50 years later, Australia will pay $280 million to survivors like Cummings. These payments are reparations. Reparations are meant to try to make up for the damage of past violence. Each survivor will receive about $55,000. Indigenous Abuse Is Worldwide Issue In the United States and Canada, Indigenous children were similarly treated. Governments forced them into boarding schools. They were separated from their families. They could not practice Indigenous cultural traditions. Australia's program also tried to erase Indigenous culture. The program ended up harming many of the children for life. Cummings has been part of the push for reparations. She was part of a lawsuit against the federal government. Canada reached a settlement in 2006. The Canadian government paid billions of dollars in reparations. It went to the 80,000 survivors of Indigenous boarding schools. The U.S. Congress created the Indian Claims Commission in the late 1940s. The Commission addresses claims from Indigenous groups. If an Indigenous group had their land taken, they can file a claim. Indigenous nations may receive payments. Some lawmakers have begun addressing reparations for enslavement. This would mean that the descendants of enslaved people receive money. Activists have worked on this for a long time. Reparations are also in question in European countries. Many of them benefited from stolen wealth during the colonial era. Reparations Just One Step In Fixing Larger Problem In Australia, the reparations aim to improve life for Indigenous people. Indigenous people have lost language, culture and family. This affects their health. They are more likely to have long-term illnesses. They have a lower life expectancy. They have less access to education and housing. Cummings didn't speak English when she was taken. She was miserable at the mission. She often ran away and hid. She was 19 years old when she was finally reunited with her family. She remembers when her mother saw her. Her mother sat there and cried. She was speechless.