Missing Aboriginal Women Enquiry?

[Big Guy]

For years native leaders have been calling for the federal government to initiate a national enquiry on missing and murdered aboriginal women. James Anaya, the UN’s special rapporteur on indigenous rights, has just added his voice to the calls on Ottawa to launch a formal inquiry into the nearly 1,200 aboriginal women have been murdered or gone missing in Canada in the past 30 years.

Is there a need for such an enquiry at this time?

[Smallc]

I would be in favour if a) it was extended to all women, and b ) it would actually accomplish something.

Edited May 13, 2014 by Smallc

[PIK]

They leave the reservation because there is nothing for them after the chiefs and band councils steal everything. And they head out into a evil world and the poor souls disappear. But this has been going on for awhile, but lets blame harper. Maybe the chiefs and band councils should spend the money on their people instead of themselves. But it seems to me the natives can't do shit for themselves any more.

[Keepitsimple]

It would help if the media put things in the proper context......have a read - these are not "unsolved" cases - as the media has led veryone to believe. They are being solved as the same rate as non-aboriginal murders where the perpetrator is unknown.......and that huge number is spead over 30 years - 35-40 each year....clearly unacceptable, but again - not what we were led to believe.

But Paulson disputed suggestions there was systemic discrimination or foot-dragging by police forces in these investigations,

“No, I can say the solve rate on the murders for example is exactly the same; assigning the perpetrator to a stranger in homicides — exactly the same between aboriginal and non-aboriginal women.”

He said “the problem” with numbers that were reported before “is that they were being held out as unsolved cases.”

On the contrary, Paulson said most of the 1,000 murder cases — 88 per cent — are solved. As for 186 missing cases, “we have an ability to determine that there’s foul play expected” in about two-thirds, or about 160, of the cases, while another third are determined as “missing-unknown reasons.”

“So they haven’t been under-investigated, they haven’t been improperly investigated, but clearly there’s some underlying issues as to why that’s there would be such a misrepresenatation (sic).”

Link: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/05/01/1000_native_women_murdered_missing_in_canada_over_30_years_rcmp.html

Edited May 13, 2014 by Keepitsimple

[segnosaur]

Missing Aboriginal Women Enquiry?

Has anyone tried looking between the cushions on the couch? That's where I usually find the remote control when it goes missing...

[Michael Hardner]

Has anyone tried looking between the cushions on the couch? That's where I usually find the remote control when it goes missing...

Actually, segnosaur - this is a serious matter and the discussion would be helped by taking it seriously, thanks.

[Argus]

You take any other low income community with drug and alcohol problems and you'd find pretty much the same sort of thing. Lots of young women getting involved in drugs and prostitution, then getting beaten, or killed, or going missing, either due to foul play, or simply because sex workers often have few roots in the community in which they, er, practice.

But it's a great stick to beat the government up with and make bleeding heart liberals squirm with white guilt.

Edited May 13, 2014 by Argus

[On Guard for Thee]

It would help if the media put things in the proper context......have a read - these are not "unsolved" cases - as the media has led veryone to believe. They are being solved as the same rate as non-aboriginal murders where the perpetrator is unknown.......and that huge number is spead over 30 years - 35-40 each year....clearly unacceptable, but again - not what we were led to believe.

Link: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/05/01/1000_native_women_murdered_missing_in_canada_over_30_years_rcmp.html

"Solve rate" means nothing. Simply a smokescreen that some people are sucked into.

[cybercoma]

You take any other low income community with drug and alcohol problems and you'd find pretty much the same sort of thing. Lots of young women getting involved in drugs and prostitution, then getting beaten, or killed, or going missing, either due to foul play, or simply because sex workers often have few roots in the community in which they, er, practice.

But it's a great stick to beat the government up with and make bleeding heart liberals squirm with white guilt.

except the police usually close those cases. These are open files.

[Boges]

Since when is it the Fed's responsibility to solve murders or missing person's cases?

Edited May 14, 2014 by Boges

[cybercoma]

Since when is it the Fed's responsibility to solve murders or missing person's cases?

Public Inquiries

Nobody is looking for the federal government to solve murdered and missing persons cases.

[Big Guy]

An inquiry is set up to answer questions - questions that have not been answered under current processes. I do not understand what the questions are. Is it looking for a serial killer or where the missing women have gone or if these women are really missing or that aboriginals are being targeted for murder or ...?

What is the expected outcome of such an inquiry?

[Topaz]

All of these women killed or missing, could be someone who wants to reduce the population of the FN by killing them or just has a hatred for the FN.

[Argus]

except the police usually close those cases. These are open files.

No, they're not. Most of them are closed.

[Keepitsimple]

except the police usually close those cases. These are open files.

Wrong again. You're not keeping up - read the Star article I posted earlier:

On the contrary, Paulson said most of the 1,000 murder cases — 88 per cent — are solved. As for 186 missing cases, “we have an ability to determine that there’s foul play expected” in about two-thirds, or about 160, of the cases, while another third are determined as “missing-unknown reasons.”

Edited May 14, 2014 by Keepitsimple

[Melanie_]

I think the idea of having an inquiry is not so much about solving the cases still on the books. It's more about identifying the systemic issues that lead to so many of these women going missing or being murdered in the first place, and the general public sentiment that they shouldn't expect anything better, anyway. Aboriginal women are routinely marginalized, and as long as their disappearances are seen as no big deal, just what they can expect for being female and Aboriginal, we won't see any real progress on ending this issue.

I do agree with Argus that there are often very limited options for oppressed and marginalized women living in poverty, and that they are seen as disposable - by the larger society, by those close to them and also often by themselves. An inquiry would help to change that.

[segnosaur]

Has anyone tried looking between the cushions on the couch? That's where I usually find the remote control when it goes missing...

Actually, segnosaur - this is a serious matter and the discussion would be helped by taking it seriously, thanks.

Humor/satire is an often used tool when dealing with uncomfortable situations. However, since you want things to be 100% serious:

It is a serious matter when someone goes missing or is killed. However, this call for an inquiry is not the same thing.

As other posters have pointed out, the idea that there is a huge problem of "missing aboriginal women ignored" is probably not supported by data... The numbers sound serious, but when compared to non-aboriginal women the numbers don't seem too out of proportion. Any inquiry is going to probably be at best useless (although it may cost money, it likely won't uncover anything useful that wouldn't be obvious to someone with 2 brain cells to rub together). At worst, it will be a political tool to bludgeon the conservatives as "uncaring" when they refuse to trot out the dog-and-pony show that an inquiry would be.

[Smallc]

An inquiry would help to change that.

How? What difference could it possibly make?

[cybercoma]

How? What difference could it possibly make?

When figuring out the systematic issues that have led to the disproportionate loss of aboriginal women, policy recommendations will be made to address those issues. That's the purpose of an inquiry.

[Smallc]

We already know the problems. Poverty being the most important.

[Argus]

When figuring out the systematic issues that have led to the disproportionate loss of aboriginal women, policy recommendations will be made to address those issues. That's the purpose of an inquiry.

We know why they go missing.

Because many native communities are a dysfunctional mess of poverty, alcohlism and drug abuse, with high levels of violence and sexual abuse of women and children.

And we know why that is the case too. Because many if not the majority of the people in these communities have nothing to live for. They have no jobs, no purpose in life. They are isolated little hamlets located near nothing in particular. There's no farming, there's no factories, there's no mines, there's no jobs. In the normal course of events, little villages, hamlets and towns don't come into existence without an economic draw. But there is no and never was any economic draw for many of these reserves because when they were created it was assumed that the 'native's just wanted to live in their little teepees and sing songs or something. And since we'd ship them food, well, they wouldn't need to hunt any more, right? So great solution.

Only it's like, a hundred and something years later, and the natives don't want to sit in teepees and sing songs. They want to do something with their lives, but there's nothing around them that allows them to do it. So they drink too much, and they sniff glue, and the teenagers have lots of sex, and get into fights and the culture falls into violence and addiction.

So what can you do about it? There are only two options. You either find a way to bring jobs to the reserves, or you bring the reserves to where the jobs are. There ARE no other options.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Argus

[Keepitsimple]

We know why they go missing.

Because many native communities are a dysfunctional mess of poverty, alcohlism and drug abuse, with high levels of violence and sexual abuse of women and children.

And we know why that is the case too. Because many if not the majority of the people in these communities have nothing to live for. They have no jobs, no purpose in life. They are isolated little hamlets located near nothing in particular. There's no farming, there's no factories, there's no mines, there's no jobs. In the normal course of events, little villages, hamlets and towns don't come into existence without an economic draw. But there is no and never was any economic draw for many of these reserves because when they were created it was assumed that the 'native's just wanted to live in their little teepees and sing songs or something. And since we'd ship them food, well, they wouldn't need to hunt any more, right? So great solution.

Only it's like, a hundred and something years later, and the natives don't want to sit in teepees and sing songs. They want to do something with their lives, but there's nothing around them that allows them to do it. So they drink too much, and they sniff glue, and the teenagers have lots of sex, and get into fights and the culture falls into violence and addiction.

So what can you do about it? There are only two options. You either find a way to bring jobs to the reserves, or you bring the reserves to where the jobs are. There ARE no other options.

Well said......and that's the cold hard truth.....

[Michael Hardner]

As other posters have pointed out, the idea that there is a huge problem of "missing aboriginal women ignored" is probably not supported by data...

...

At worst, it will be a political tool to bludgeon the conservatives as "uncaring" when they refuse to trot out the dog-and-pony show that an inquiry would be.

So, you're saying we have a group that is concerned with a problem that may not be as serious as it appears, with politicians looking to take advantage of the situation. That sounds like many issues that we deal with in other areas of governance too.

[Smallc]

This issue is a bad one to do that with though...people have trouble thinking rationally because of the people involved.

[cybercoma]

So, you're saying we have a group that is concerned with a problem that may not be as serious as it appears

Not as serious as it appears? The disproportionality here is appalling. That there is no plans to address rightfully upsets a great many people.