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October 24, 2004 

Canada: Indifference to the safety of indigenous women must end

Canadian officials have too long ignored the threat to indigenous women in Canadian towns and cities. Many are missing, some have been murdered and Canadian authorities are not doing enough to stop the violence, says Amnesty International in a report.

"All women have the right to live in safety and dignity but overt cultural prejudice and official indifference have put the indigenous women of Canada in harm's way," says Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International. "As a priority, the Governments at all levels in Canada must work with indigenous women in the country to ensure that no more 'sisters' are 'stolen' from their communities as the result of discrimination and violence."

The report is being released as part of a global campaign to stop violence against women. The report tells the stories of indigenous women and girls who have gone missing or been killed in Vancouver, Prince Albert, Saskatoon, Regina and Winnipeg, and draws on wider public information in concluding that this is a serious human rights concern.

Lack of consistent reporting and comprehensive analysis by Canadian police and government agencies of violent crimes against indigenous women leaves many unanswered questions about the scale and sources of violence. It is Amnesty International's view, however, that the social and economic marginalization of indigenous women has placed far too many women in harm's way. The reality of this threat is borne out by the suffering inflicted on so many indigenous families, sometimes more than once.

The report makes the following links between discrimination and violence against indigenous women in Canadian cities:

*Despite assurances to the contrary, police in Canada have often failed to provide indigenous women with an adequate standard of protection.

*The social and economic marginalization of indigenous women, along with a history of government policies that have torn apart indigenous families and communities, has pushed a disproportionate number of indigenous women into dangerous situations that include extreme poverty, homelessness and prostitution.

*The resulting vulnerability of indigenous women has been exploited by indigenous and non-indigenous men to carry out acts of extreme brutality against them.

*These acts of violence may be motivated by racism, or may be carried out in the expectation that indifference to the welfare and safety of indigenous women will allow the perpetrators to escape justice.

The report recommends urgent measures that governments must implement to improve protection for indigenous women. Police forces must work with indigenous communities to develop protocols to ensure appropriate and effective police response to reports of missing indigenous women and children. All governments must ensure adequate, long-term funding of the frontline services needed by women to escape violence. Comprehensive national research on the magnitude of the problem is immediately needed.

Action must be taken to recruit more indigenous police and to train others to understand the complexity of indigenous issues. And there needs to be a commitment by all agencies and levels of government to ensuring the full participation of indigenous women in the design and implementation of the policies that directly affect their welfare.

Source: Amnesty International.