Ampe Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle ("Little Children are Sacred")

Ampe Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle ("Little Children are Sacred") is the 2007 final report of the Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse. The inquiry was commissioned by the NT Government and co-chaired by Rex Wild QC and Patricia Anderson. Over eight months, the board visited 45 communities and held more than 260 meetings with individuals, community groups, government agencies, and non-government organisations across the Territory.

The report argues that child sexual abuse in NT Aboriginal communities is widespread, underreported, and deeply connected to broader social conditions. It examines the relationship between abuse and factors including alcohol misuse, unemployment, inadequate housing, lack of education, and family breakdown. The board is direct about what it found and why it matters, and it makes clear that the problems are not new.

The report's 97 recommendations span government leadership, child protection services, policing, health, housing, employment, community justice, and education. A strong thread throughout is the need for solutions to be community-owned and locally driven rather than imposed from outside. The board calls on both the Australian and NT Governments to treat Aboriginal child sexual abuse as a matter of urgent national significance.

This report is most relevant to policymakers, child protection and welfare professionals, community leaders, and researchers working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs. Readers should be aware that this report was released in 2007 and became a catalyst for the NT Intervention later that year, which has since been widely debated and criticised. Reading it alongside more recent commentary will provide useful context.