Stop violence against Indigenous Women
CANADA: The lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women are honoured at a traditional cultural festival in St. Catherines, Ontario.The drummers and singers belong to the Midnight Messenger, an action circle on Indigenous rights that is part of AICSES. September 11 2004. ©AICSES
All women have the right to be safe and free from violence. There should be no exceptions. Unfortunately however, due to gender discrimination and systemic racism, Indigenous women around the world face a greatly heightened risk of violence.
“For Indigenous women, gender-based violence is shaped not only by gender discrimination within Indigenous and non-Indigenous arenas, but by a context of ongoing colonization and militarism, racism and social exclusion; and poverty-inducing economic and “development” policies. While stopping or decreasing the impact of (these practices)… will help reduce Indigenous women’s risk of …violence, the single greatest risk factor for gender-based violence is the systematic violation of their collective rights [eg. rights to maintain and pass on to future generations Indigenous languages and traditions and the recognition of traditional and collective rights in lands, territory and resources.].” Mairin Iwanka Raya – Indigenous Women Stand Against Violence” International Indigenous Women’s Forum, 2006
Indigenous peoples’ organizations point out that the erosion of cultural identity and access to traditionally held lands and their accompanying resources, play a central role in social instability in their communities. They also lead to a loss of individual self-worth. Those two factors alone enable and promote violence against Indigenous women within and outside their communities.
Here are some of the causes and types of violence and discrimination that Indigenous women experience:
- Racism and discrimination fuel acts of violence against Indigenous women while denying them adequate protection within the criminal justice system.
- Uprooting of Indigenous communities as the result of government policies or private development activities leads to poverty and ill-health, as well as increased social stress and violence within the family.
- Loss and degradation of the land Indigenous women use to grow crops, gather medicinal plants and hold sacred ceremonies undermines Indigenous women’s well-being and status in their own communities.
- States’ laws and policies have often denied Indigenous women a meaningful role in decisions vital to their safety and well-being.
- Armed conflicts over control of the resources found on Indigenous lands has led to the militarization of Indigenous communities and the targeting of Indigenous women.
- Violence at the hands of migrant workers and security personnel has accompanied large-scale development projects on Indigenous lands. Extreme discrimination, marginalization and dispossession fuel this violence and prevent survivors or their families from accessing shelter, protection and justice.
Amnesty International’s work on the specific patterns of violence facing Indigenous women focuses on two major reports: “Stolen Sisters: Discrimination and Violence Against Indigenous Women in Canada” and “Maze of Injustice – The Failure to Protect Indigenous Women from Sexual Violence in the USA.”* Current actions are based on the recommendations in these two reports.
* see links to all related reports in the right sidebar
Updated: 6 March 2008