Christian missionaries were established to convert Indigenous people, and the children were forcefully removed from their parents and place with families or missionaries  they sought to civilize Aboriginal people by imposing European religious and cultural had the children forced to wear European clothing, attend prayers an adhere to strict rules, The children are stripped of their identity and are subjected to harsh discipline, Children are lined up for inspection and are confined in cramped quarters. Another thing was the way Moodoo had the tasked to track down all the runner ways conflicted with him being close to his own daughter.  It showed and depicts the vast unforgiving land the girls had to cross to get back home, if were not for molly leadership and spiritual strength to guide her along the fence to find her way back home.

Residential schools were established to confine "half-caste" children, subjecting them to strict discipline, forced labor, and efforts aimed at erasing their Aboriginal identity. The experiences of Molly, Daisy, and Gracie highlight the emotional trauma inflicted by these institutions, along with the severing of family ties.

The interactions between the children and staff reveal the colonial attitudes toward Aboriginal culture, which were enforced by punishing the children for speaking their native languages. Despite this, the children managed to escape and embark on a journey. Their escape symbolizes their resilience against oppression, and their path along the rabbit-proof fence signifies a physical and spiritual connection to their culture, which they continually sought to maintain.

The school's effort to dehumanize the children is depicted when the children are interacting with the staff. For instance, when the nun bathes the children, she scrubs them like dirty clothes. And the nuns barely touch the children, they usher the children from a distance like they were contagious. Another instance is when the children have to use a bucket in the corner to go to the bathroom. That means the children cannot leave the room overnight. The children were trapped in the one-room space. The children were breaking out of the room and escaping to find their families and freedom. We see the results of the school when the girls run into the woman on the farm from the school. She's a maid and she is sexually abused by the farmer. She was forced into this life that the school ultimately created for her. She's alone with no family to help her and lives to serve whites.

The school was a concentration camp to eliminate the Aboriginal race and create a passing and obedient "half-caste" child or indentured servitude.

In the movie Rabbit Proof Fence a clear picture of what settler colonialism is and what the process looks like is presented. Even before we are introduced to the Moore River Settlement , there is almost a marking of territory as we see this fence run from one end to the other of the continent. What is striking to me is why build a short fence for an animal that can hop over it or burrow over it? It was a representation of the audacious attitude of the invaders to lay claim to and domineer over people, places, and things that they have no ownership of. The Moore Settlement proved to be the grounds where the presumptuous settlers instilled what their idea of rightness was. After being snatched from their family and riding a train in a cage like animals, they are placed in an environment that outlaws their social norms and beliefs. In one scene the girls were given a set of new clothes and something was said to the effect of go and change into these proper clothes, whenever they used their native tongue, it was framed to be “backwards” and “uncivilized” and in another scene when the girls are being washed the woman washing them kept saying “isn’t that better” or something similar. The Moore River Settlement perpetuated blatant suppression and forceful assimilation. Sadly, so many of these practices have mutated but still exist in contemporary times.

They removed them from their mothers and when they arrived at the Moore River Settlement they were expected only to speak English they weren't allowed to speak their native language. Their Western beliefs were implemented on to them taking away their indigenous practices and beliefs. They had to wear certain clothing, make their beds, follow a schedule, socialize in English, go to school, and eat the same foods. The dormitory they were placed in had locks which is a symbol of their freedom being taken away and the only reason Molly, Daisy, and Gracie were found as "missing" was because of the attendance taken before going to bed. Neville and his team of trackers went searching for the girls to retreat them back to Moore River Settlement. Unfortunately, Gracie was captured. Molly and Daisy were able to find their way back home.

The Australian government also wanted to change the way they looked by changing their attire and changing their hair even as far as to cut it. Anything that doesn't resonate with the white culture was seen as uncivilized and although many of the individuals in the missionary schools assimilated to the "proper" culture some only assimilated because they believed one day they will be able to return home (I.e. the tracker).

Forced Assimilation of Indigenous kids

At the Moore River Settlement, the main goal of settler colonial policies was to integrate Indigenous children, particularly those of mixed ancestry (known as "half-castes"), into European settler society. This was done by using the Aboriginal Protection Act, which allowed for the taking of children away from their families and communities. Among these are the girls (Molly, Daisy, and Gracie) in the film, who are taken from their homes and taken to the settlement in an effort to become "civilized."

Its underlying premise was that Indigenous cultures should be replaced by Western lifestyles, which were considered inferior.It is attempted to keep the girls from being exposed to their native languages and cultures, and they are trained in household chores. This assimilation policy is a obvious example of settler colonialism, which aims to drive Indigenous peoples off their land and destroy their cultures and languages in favor of the colonizers'. The girls' escape from the settlement is a symbol of their resistance to this process throughout the film as they try to return to their families and their heritage.

The Control of Land and Separation from Families

The colonial power of settlers over Indigenous people and their land is symbolized by the rabbit-proof fence itself. The fence was built in an effort to prevent the spread of rabbits, an introduced species that became problematic in Australia. The fence represents the colonial project's control over the surrounding area and also acts as a landmark for the girls' escape from the Moore River Settlement.

Indigenous families are divided by the settlement, which also instills in kids like Molly, Daisy, and Gracie the belief that their cultural identity should be destroyed. Their families, whose customary ties to the land and to one another were broken by the colonial endeavor, are forced to leave them. One of the best examples of the long-lasting effects of settler colonialism is the settlement's role in deepening the gap between Indigenous people and their lands: Indigenous people feel cut off from the land because settlers control it, while they bury their own history and heritage under colonial rule.

Land control and the forced separation of children from their families are the two primary characteristics of settler colonialism. As the film graphically depicts, the system sought to "reorder" Indigenous society by severing cultural and familial ties in order to ensure that the colonized population would be incorporated into the way the settlers think is the best or "correct."