The Australian Women’s Health Alliance appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications References Committee inquiry into bioplastics, toxic and forever chemicals regarding human rights for Indigenous women and women in remote and rural communities in Australia in March 2026 regarding their submission.
Under General Recommendation 39 of CEDAW, reproductive violence and systemic violations experienced by Indigenous women and girls, including sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender-based discrimination, are addressed.
The Australian Women’s Health Alliance and the International Indigenous Women’s Forum (FIMI) bring the human rights and human faces of Indigenous women to this dialogue.
A reproductive violence framework must include the violence inflicted upon our Mother Earth because the health, autonomy and reproductive capacity of our bodies are linked to the physical environment, grounded in the principles of reproductive justice.
We discussed the impact of microplastics, toxins and forever chemicals on reproductive health. These are environmental and reproductive health issues that must be examined together as interconnected domains.
Once forever chemicals enter the environment, there is very little that can be done about them, since most natural ecosystems are incapable of breaking them down. This ‘persistence’ has allowed them to disperse through groundwater, rivers, oceans and even through the atmosphere, reaching every corner of the globe. This is violence on our Mother Earth, and it creates reproductive violence against Indigenous women.
For women, pregnancy is a life-changing experience, and it is imperative to be aware of the implications of microplastics during pregnancy. One of the major concerns is the potential transfer of microplastics through the placenta during pregnancy. Microplastics have been detected in human placentas, amniotic fluid and the foetus. When these particles cross the placenta, they can cause stress, fluid disruption and reduced foetal growth. While studies show high concentrations in placentas, further research is required to fully understand the long-term impacts.
For most Indigenous women and some women with ethnic backgrounds, we are the only race of people who have children born with a Mongolian spot. This spot was traditionally believed to be benign in nature, but has now been shown to co-exist with inborn errors of metabolism.
What does this mean? Forever chemicals heavily disrupt our natural metabolic and hormonal pathways. There needs to be research into the first 1,000 days for Indigenous women and women from different backgrounds who have children born with the Mongolian spot. These children should be monitored throughout life for the effects of forever toxins.
There must be more research funding directed towards reproductive violence for Indigenous women regarding the impact of bioplastics, forever chemicals and other toxins. Forever chemicals take more than 1,000 years to degrade in the environment, and several years to be broken down in the body.
Indigenous genomes collected to date have revealed an ‘abundance’ of DNA variations, some of which have never been reported anywhere else in the world, paving the way for new tailored treatments that address health inequities for Indigenous women in Australia and globally.
The intersection of reproductive violence, bioplastics, forever chemicals and other toxins is at the core of discussion on reproductive justice. The deliberate and careless exposure of our bodies, lands and water to toxic contaminants compromises fertility, pregnancy and our future generations.
– Australian Women’s Health Alliance and International Indigenous Women’s Forum (FIMI)
Background
The Australian Women’s Health Alliance appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications References Committee inquiry into bioplastics, toxic and forever chemicals regarding human rights for Indigenous women and women in remote and rural communities in Australia in March 2026 regarding their submission.