I’ve been munching on a thought for quite some time. I’d
like you to stay with me on this one. I want to take you down a path of
awareness, hope and action.
The circumstance we find Canada’s indigenous women and girls
in is not right. This is just not a moral stance I am taking, it’s an
observation. The way they are regarded and treated is an indication of how much
we, as Canadians, take notice and how much we value these women and girls.
Awareness
Last summer Tina Fontaine, a 15 year-old Aboriginal girl,
was found wrapped in plastic thrown into the Red River in Winnipeg, Manitoba
after being sexually assaulted.[1]
In November Rinelle Harper, 16 years old, was sexually assaulted and left for
dead next to another river in Winnipeg.[2]
In July 2013, 25 year-old Bella Laboucan-McLean died after falling off a
balcony of a Toronto condo. The death was called ‘suspicious’ by police.[3] Even though she had been a part of a small gathering with 5 other people in the
flat no arrests had been made as of December 19,
2014 when an article was published about her.[4]
Documented evidence backs the claim that missing and murdered
indigenous women and girls is a reality and that it must be addressed.
FAFIA reported the following:
Aboriginal women in Canada report rates of violence
including domestic violence and sexual assault 3.5 times higher than
non-Aboriginal women. Young Aboriginal women are five times more likely than
other Canadian women of the same age to die of violence. Aboriginal women and
girls experience both high levels of sexual abuse and violence in their own
families and communities, and high levels of stranger violence in the broader
society.[5]
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights reported that
“police have failed to
adequately prevent and protect indigenous women and girls from killings,
disappearances, extreme forms of violence and have failed to diligently and
promptly investigate these acts.”[6]
I could continue to write a long list of the horrific
conditions First Nations women and girls experience but that would lead many of
you, I feel, to feel despair and to stop reading. Let me instead bring your
attention to this.
Hope
We, Canadians, have an opportunity to support these women and girls.
Let us take a cue from them.
Rinelle Harper said this at the Assembly of First Nations in
December 2014:
“I am Rinelle Harper and I am from the Garden Hill First
Nation.”
“I am here to talk about an end to violence against young
women.”
“As a survivor, I respectfully challenge you all to call for a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women.”[7]
Let it not be said that we are not aware. There is a problem
when our society fails to recognize that the root of society – women – must be
valued and their rights upheld.
Federal elections will soon be called in Canada. As issues
of the pipelines and the economy are raised, let us not forget that if we are
not addressing the root causes of violence against women and girls – and in particular Aboriginal
women and girls who experience a higher instance of violence than non-Aboriginal women and girls – then we choose to live in a country where
we value some lives more than others.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights report
includes recommendations in line with international conventions and agreements indicating that a balance of quantitative and qualitative measures need to be taken. A
simple action we, as Canadians, can make is calling for a National Inquiry.
Action
1)
Be informed. A short overview of the problem and
actions that can be taken can be found here: http://www.fafia-afai.org/en/solidarity-campaign/.
3)
Ask your MP or the candidate you will be voting
for to support Aboriginal women and girls. Address this violence and eliminate it. Ask for a National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Aboriginal women and girls. You can look up your MP here: http://www.parl.gc.ca/Parliamentarians/en/members
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives provided this encouraging
assessment:
If the Government of Canada were to invest at least half of
their Aboriginal Economic Development funding into enhancing skills and
opportunities for female Aboriginal entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs,
Canadians could expect to see profoundly improved economic outcomes for
Aboriginal women in all ranges of business development that extend beyond their
own financial well-being. In many cases, their increased independence can mean
profound life changes, including helping them escape violence, improve their
own and their children’s nutrition, exit poverty or afford safe housing. Aboriginal women also make up the fastest
growing youth population in Canada and would be the ideal target for investment
to fill the aging Canadian labour market gap.[8]
I know most of you have had a very dark moment in your life – a time where you decided not to give up. You picked yourself off the floor, dusted
yourself off and made an effort to make your life better. Can you remember that time? Can you
remember what it felt like when you found yourself surrounded by support and
compassion from your family, friends and strangers?
Our First Nations women and girls have made a decision. From
Rinelle to the collective group of Aboriginal women who started what has become one of the
largest grassroots movements in support of their rights and ours – Idle No
More.[9]
They will not give up.
Let us provide them the support and compassion once given
to us in our time of need.
[1] Welcome to Winnipeg:
Where Canada’s racism problem is at its worst. How the death of Tina Fontaine has finally
forced the city to face its festering race problem.” Maclean’s Magazine. January 22,
2015 http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/welcome-to-winnipeg-where-canadas-racism-problem-is-at-its-worst/.
Site Accessed February 4, 2015.
[2] Vincent, Donovan. “Rinelle Harper delivers emotional plea to Assembly of
First Nations.” The Toronto Star. December 9, 2015
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/12/09/rinelle_harper_delivers_emotional_plea_to_assembly_of_first_nations.html
Site Accessed February 4, 2015.
[3]
Klein, Naomi
“How a Cree
woman fell to death, and no one saw anything.” The Globe and Mail. December 19,
2014 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/how-a-cree-woman-fell-to-death-and-no-one-saw-anything/article22167039/.
Site Accessed February 4, 2015.
[4] Ibid.
[5] “Murders & Disappearances Of Aboriginal Women
And Girls.” http://www.fafia-afai.org/en/solidarity-campaign/.
Site Accessed February 4, 2015.
[6] “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in British
Columbia, Canada.” Inter-American Commission On Human Rights OEA/Ser.L/V/II. Doc.
30/14, 21 December 2014, p.12. http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/reports/pdfs/Indigenous-Women-BC-Canada-en.pdf.
Site Accessed February 4, 2015.
[7] Rinelle Harper’s speech https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkjJGVwuOME
December 9, 2015 Site Accessed February 4, 2015
[8] “Progress
on Women’s Rights: Missing in Action. A Shadow Report on Canada’s Implementation
of the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action Prepared by a
Network of NGOs, Trade Unions and Independent Experts.” Canadian Centre for
Policy Alternatives, October 2014, p. 44. (Bold inserted by myself) https://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2014/11/Progress_Women_Beijing20.pdf. Site Accessed February 4, 2015
[9]
Ibid; http://www.idlenomore.ca/ Site Accessed February 4, 2015
