The Standing Committee on the Status of Women just released this interim report. This study examines the issue of violence against Aboriginal women with a view to provide a better understanding of the causes, the extent and nature of violence, and to provide recommendations on how to address the issue. The committee gathered information from over 150 'witnesses' that included Aboriginal women, Aboriginal organizations, academics, and those working in service organizations that took place between April 2010 and February 2011 across Canada.
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/content/hoc/Committee/403/FEWO/Reports/RP5056509/feworp14/feworp14-e.pdf
My personal comments
As I read the report a number of things stood out:
1. The fact that the Committee was “seized by the urgency of the situation of violence within which Aboriginal women, men and children live daily” (p.3) tells me that there is something terribly wrong when most people do not know about the extent of violence that directed against Aboriginal peoples. As the Committee points out what is equally disturbing is that the committee itself was shocked at the silence surrounding violence against Aboriginal peoples especially women. “It is the silence of those us in the majority who chose to turn a blind eye to this violence—cases of missing Aboriginal daughters and mothers which never make the headlines; epidemics of suicide which don’t elicit an outpouring of concern and outrage from the non-Aboriginal community” (p.4).
2. The report also makes note that the level of violence in Aboriginal women’s lives is pervasive and compounded by systemic and institutionalized racism (p.4). I couldn’t agree more. Based on my own doctoral research with Aboriginal students and professors in the postsecondary educational system racism was by far the most profound barrier experienced by participants. Racism, in my view, is an extension of longstanding and ongoing colonial practices that must be addressed.
3. One point that is made in the report leaves me both perplexed and disturbed and that is the Committee surmises a link between the loss of culture and levels of violence: “The resulting loss of culture was seen as a significant manifestation of violence against Aboriginal women and men. The link between loss of culture and violence was a recurrent theme in all the site visits.” (p.5). I agree to the extent that loss of culture is directly related to ongoing colonial and imperial imposition directed at Indigenous peoples. However, there is a danger in focusing on loss of culture as the problem versus focusing on how the loss of culture has happened to Indigenous peoples. I believe this redirects the focus back on Indigenous peoples as ‘lacking’ and in this case ‘culture’. When the gaze is centered on loss of culture or lack of culture the issue of ongoing colonial imposition gets lost. The next step is to highlight the solution as being an infusion of ‘culture’ when in fact, the solution needs to address the high levels of ongoing colonialism ie: racism and violence.
4. Two solutions/recommendations were put forward and that was (1) to listen to Aboriginal peoples and (2) to focus on more coordinate and holistic approach that are tailored to the needs of various communities (p. 6). A more holistic and comprehensive approach to addressing the issue would include attention to issues such as poverty, housing, and racism. (p. 6). My own personal view is that these are both great statements but again would be cautious on how this might redirect our gaze away from the real issue of ongoing racism and colonialism. Why not just name the issue as one of racism.
5. Another area of the report that was disturbing was the section on the role that child welfare plays in the violence experienced by Aboriginal women. “The committee heard that women who were victims of violence often avoided seeking help from health or social service organizations for fear that their children would be apprehended by child welfare authorities” (p.11). After all that Aboriginal peoples have been through with the 1960’s scoop from Child welfare authorities and the longstanding effects of residential schooling I have to wonder why more isn’t not being done to ensure that Aboriginal women are not re-victimized by the child welfare system. Shouldn’t a child welfare system have as it’s goal to keep a family together and should the system not understand the role that high levels of violence that Aboriginal women are subjected and work towards reducing the violence, building families and keeping families together.
6. Another disturbing fact: “As of March 31, 2010, 8,682 or 5.4% of children living on reserves were in care outside their parental home. This proportion is almost eight times that of children living off-reserve. Also, that number under-estimates the total number of Aboriginal children in care because it does not include…[Aboriginal] children who are in care under the auspices of provincial and territorial child welfare services” (p.13). My question on this is whether we have entered another era of ‘scooping’ as the Committee noted: “The Committee was concerned to hear that ‘there are more first Nations children in child welfare today than at the height of residential schools, by a factor of three” (p.13).
7. Perhaps one area that presented some sense of hopefulness that that the Witnesses emphasized the need for educational awareness at very early levels. “Witnesses told the Committee that the whole mainstream education system needs to change the way history is taught, and talked about the need for ongoing training in Aboriginal awareness for all service-providers, to develop relations of understanding, respect and trust” (p.31). Certainly there needs to be much work done to transform educational systems at all levels to stop perpetuating the racialization of Aboriginal peoples.
Your comments are most welcome.
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