Alleged murder of Aboriginal girl highlights Australia's deep inequalities

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Alleged murder of Aboriginal girl highlights Australia's deep inequalities23 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleKaty WatsonAustralia Correspondent, Alice SpringsWarning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers: this article contains references to and images of someone who has died. Who is Kumanjayi Little Baby and why has her death caused outrage in the outback? In the past few weeks, flowers, messages and cuddly toys have grown like a creeper on the chain link fence at the entrance of Old Timers town camp in Australia's Northern Territory.

A little girl gets out of a car with her brother and mother to add to the pile, laying a bright pink cuddly toy on the ground - a tribute to Kumanjayi Little Baby, the five-year-old who went missing in April from this Aboriginal community, and whose body was found five days later. An Aboriginal man was subsequently charged with murdering her. "The whole community is numb," another mourner says.

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This is a sentiment felt by much of this small town of fewer than 30,000 people, many of whom joined the search for Kumanjayi Little Baby, as she's now known for cultural reasons, in the days after she disappeared. "In some ways you could say we've actually seen some of the best of the community in the absolute worst of times," says Asta Hill, the mayor of Alice Springs. As well as bringing the town together, Kumanjayi Little Baby's death united Australians across the country in grief and outrage.

Condolence motions were passed in parliament, and even Prime Minister Anthony Albanese weighed in, saying "it breaks your heart". "For the very first time this story brought to the surface how deeply Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people love and care for their children," says Catherine Liddle, CEO of SNAICC, a peak body that represents Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families. But the circumstances of Kumanjayi Little Baby's alleged murder also laid bare the deep inequalities that still exist in one of the world's wealthiest countries with many asking how this could happen, and prompting authorities to promise a review into the territory's child protection system.

Faced with a painful, often traumatic history of policies that have targeted generations of Aboriginal communities and their children, navigating the aftermath of this tragedy is fraught with sensitivities. Vigils were held in Alice Springs and across AustraliaA beloved little girlKumanjayi Little Baby was a Warlpiri girl whose traditional lands are in the northwest of Alice Springs, in the Tanami Desert. Her mother described her as a "princess" in a statement read out at a vigil held for her at Alice Springs.

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She painted a picture of a beloved little girl that felt relatable to parents everywhere. A five-year-old who loved cartoons and computer games. A little sister who liked hanging out with her brother.

A young student excited about starting school.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.