SLIC - Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women

Human Rights   Feb 15, 2015 by Kiera Day

Women’s issues is what you hear about a lot about these days; Feminism, dress codes, equal pay etc. However, there is one issue that doesn’t get the recognition it needs; missing and murdered First Nations women. In Canada, there have been thousands of cases of missing and murdered First Nations women. Until very recently, there hasn’t been very much attention on this issue. Unfortunately, this is the case due to an oppressive and racist society still intact in Canada. Perhaps the most notable result of negligence and racism was the “Highway of Tears” murders, a series of homicides along Highway 16 near Prince George, British Columbia that was only investigated and publicized when non-Aboriginal women began going missing and murdered. Over half of the women that went missing or were murdered were of First Nations descent. This occurrence is only a small part of the violation of human rights First Nations people as a whole have faced and continue to face.

As Aboriginal women, they are three times more likely to be murdered by a stranger than a non-Aboriginal woman in Canada. This is a result of the racist ideology of the decreased worth of an Aboriginal woman’s life. In society, with the unjust killings of these women, we are taught that they don’t matter, that it’s someone else’s problem. Or that it’s their fault. If they hadn’t been involved with drugs, alcohol or sex work, none of these things would have happened. This idea is oppressive and insensitive. The hardships of First Nations peoples’ lives are not their fault. The Canadian government so often forgets that the product of the majority of Aboriginal peoples’ lives is a direct result of the mistreatment of them in Canadian society.

The subject of an inquiry in the issue of Missing and Murdered First Nations women in Canada has been debated by many across the country. Some say the Harper government should go through with it, some say they shouldn’t. If the inquiry were to be conducted, this would mean that millions of dollars would be put toward investigated things we already know. We know why First Nations women are targeted and by whom. The disadvantage of Native peoples of Canada is not a new prospect. The money spent on an inquiry could be much use somewhere else. Many reserves across Canada would benefit profoundly from such money. Some communities don’t even have adequate water sources or educational programs. The money put toward an almost moot inquiry would largely benefit Aboriginal communities in other equally fundamentally important areas.

Amnesty International made a great presentation at our a school a while back on their No More Stolen Sisters campaign regarding this issue. At our school, SLIC brought forward an important campaign stemming from Amnesty’s No More Stolen Sisters campaign with postcard writing. Many students helped bring awareness at lunch by showcasing postcards, donated by Amnesty, that could be and were signed by students.

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