Delegates in the Indigenous Peoples Reconciliation Committee (IPRC) have been making great strides to tackle the issue of missing Indigenous women. This topic is a sensitive one, with tensions already beginning to bubble within delegates.
A lot of tension has built up between the First Nations Chiefs in the committee and the RCMP. These strained relations stem from the fact that, in the past, the RCMP enforced residential schools upon the Indigenous people, separating families for years and often causing cycles of abuse which continue to haunt the victims.
In the present day, it has been noted that the RCMP has not been properly reporting and following through on cases of missing and metered indigenous women. Many see this as harrowing. This is especially disturbing as Aboriginal women are “over-represented among Canada’s missing and murdered women,”. For example, in 2006, indigenous women made up only about 3.5% of Canada’s population but 11% of missing or murdered cases.
Due to the Canadian government’s lack of appropriate action, many Indigenous leaders are disappointed to say the least; many of these leaders are expressing their dissatisfaction with the RCMP. These Aboriginal leaders mistrust the RCMP greatly.
Despite this distrust, the committee has been able to make some progress towards a solution.
In order to spread awareness and reach a larger audience, the hashtag #herefirst was created to spread awareness over social media. This would ensure that a younger audience would be able to share this message.
As well, the creation of various social programs was suggested by the delegates. Mentorship, something that is still in the works, has been talked about. Counselling and safe houses for women were discussed in detail while helplines to report violence were strongly advocated.
TREE has also been suggested by the Regional Chief of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. From what has been gathered, it is an acronym that stands for trust, relationships, empowerment and, possibly, empathy. Again, this is an idea that is still in its infancy, will be discussed further and is subject to change.
In the end, though there may be disagreements among these delegates, they are clearly passionate to find a solution to this pressing issue.
A lot of tension has built up between the First Nations Chiefs in the committee and the RCMP. These strained relations stem from the fact that, in the past, the RCMP enforced residential schools upon the Indigenous people, separating families for years and often causing cycles of abuse which continue to haunt the victims.
In the present day, it has been noted that the RCMP has not been properly reporting and following through on cases of missing and metered indigenous women. Many see this as harrowing. This is especially disturbing as Aboriginal women are “over-represented among Canada’s missing and murdered women,”. For example, in 2006, indigenous women made up only about 3.5% of Canada’s population but 11% of missing or murdered cases.
Due to the Canadian government’s lack of appropriate action, many Indigenous leaders are disappointed to say the least; many of these leaders are expressing their dissatisfaction with the RCMP. These Aboriginal leaders mistrust the RCMP greatly.
Despite this distrust, the committee has been able to make some progress towards a solution.
In order to spread awareness and reach a larger audience, the hashtag #herefirst was created to spread awareness over social media. This would ensure that a younger audience would be able to share this message.
As well, the creation of various social programs was suggested by the delegates. Mentorship, something that is still in the works, has been talked about. Counselling and safe houses for women were discussed in detail while helplines to report violence were strongly advocated.
TREE has also been suggested by the Regional Chief of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. From what has been gathered, it is an acronym that stands for trust, relationships, empowerment and, possibly, empathy. Again, this is an idea that is still in its infancy, will be discussed further and is subject to change.
In the end, though there may be disagreements among these delegates, they are clearly passionate to find a solution to this pressing issue.