China
21:45, 28-Jun-2017
Australian aboriginal children box to boost self-defense, self-esteem
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A program in Melbourne is giving Australia's aboriginal youths a fighting chance at succeeding in life, as CGTN’s Greg Navarro reports.
At Melbourne's Brizzi Brothers gym, a handful of kids spend their Friday night pounding bags and swatting coaches' gloves. Boxing may be the main event, but the skills learned by the mostly Indigenous crowd go well beyond the sport.
Government statistics show Aboriginal Australians have a lower life expectancy than non-Aboriginal Australians, and are more likely to be unemployed. Indigenous children are 26 times more likely to end up imprisoned, and they account for more than half of all children currently in detention.
Organizers say one of the most important things to come out of this ring is self esteem, and the knowledge that regardless of the statistics working against them, there are people in the community willing to help them have a shot at success.