First Nation, Métis, and Inuit women and girls are twelve times more likely to be murdered or go missing compared to any other demographic of women in Canada. The ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) refers to the systemic and pervasive pattern of violence towards Indigenous women and girls that is chronically under-investigated and under-reported. This epidemic of violence is rooted in the historical traumas of settler colonialism, as well as deep-rooted socioeconomic inequality that perpetuates poverty within Indigenous communities and for Indigenous peoples living in predominantly non-Indigenous areas. Canada’s 2019 National Inquiry’s Final Report describes MMIWG as a “deliberate race, identity, and gender-based genocide.” Addressing MMIWG requires an anticolonial and intersectional approach to counter this horrific violence.
Historical colonial settler violence and other forms of legal marginalization of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit peoples created transgenerational trauma and cycles of poverty that are still present today. Starting in the early 16th century, formal processes of colonization led to the decline in Canadian Indigenous populations by over 65%. Indigenous peoples were not only physically dispossessed from land and resources, but the Canadian government also sought to broadly eliminate Indigenous cultural identities. As early as 1883, residential schools were established in an attempt to assimilate Indigenous children into a Eurocentric Christian worldview by means of forcible removal, indoctrination, and forms of torture and abuse. The last of these schools was closed in 1996, after several generations of Indigenous peoples had suffered trauma and abuse, generating widespread social tension and disconnection within Indigenous communities. In addition to institutionalized residential schools, the ‘Sixties Scoop’ refers to the shockingly high rates of forced removals and separations by child welfare services in the second half of the 20th century, in which approximately 20,000 Indigenous children were separated from their community. These repeated attacks on community structures and kinship ties disconnected Indigenous people from their community, cultural identity and knowledge, creating high risks for poverty and violence.
The physical and ideological structures of colonization were deeply influenced by gender dynamics. European conceptions of patriarchal gender roles were instrumentalized to subjugate and brutalize Indigenous women and gender-diverse people. Until 1895, the Indian Act stipulated that the Indigenous status of women was determined entirely by their marriage. Even as formal discriminatory legal barriers have been removed, substantive socioeconomic and political inequality remain that continue to harm First Nation, Métis, and Inuit women across intersecting spheres of oppression.
Indigenous women today face high rates of poverty that exacerbate their risk of violence. According to census data from 2020, while Indigenous poverty rates have declined, they are still higher than those of non-Indigenous populations. Poverty is defined not only in terms of income, but also in terms of autonomy, access to services, and social connection. Indigenous people also face disproportionately high levels of homelessness and are more likely to live in overcrowded housing or housing in need of major repairs. Systemic barriers to education and employment, as well as social, political and economic discrimination, contribute to high poverty rates, which can increase the risk of violence in various ways. When someone is unable to meet basic material needs, they may be forced to engage in high-risk activities like staying in an abusive relationship or working isolated night shifts. Additionally, women who move to urban areas to seek employment or escape domestic violence may find themselves in threatening situations pertaining to sex work or informal employment. Furthermore, the lack of stable, safe, and accessible housing due to increasing prices can aggravate the impacts of poverty.
Violence serves as a “cause, result, and barrier to escaping poverty.” Economic dependency due to a lack of available employment, housing, and healthcare can prevent Indigenous women from leaving abusive relationships. When leaving abusive relationships, Indigenous women are often forced to leave familial ties and move to urban centers, where they are at a higher risk of sex trafficking. It is imperative that Indigenous women have access to safe shelter when fleeing violence, in addition to other cultural supports.
The Canadian justice system often fails to properly investigate cases of MMIWG. This is a systemic issue rooted in historical patterns when police were responsible for carrying out colonial violence against Indigenous peoples, including laws that directly targeted Indigenous women. These historical cases, as well as modern abuses of power, contribute to a culture of distrust and suspicion. Indigenous people in Canada are “over-policed and under-protected,” as seen in disproportionately high rates of incarceration and police-involved fatalities. The police fail to act promptly to take basic investigatory steps and treat Indigenous families respectfully, ignoring language barriers and withholding information on cases. In part due to racial bias and a lack of education and culturally aware training, police often fail to understand the specific needs of Indigenous communities. Lack of trust in the police can also result in Indigenous women feeling unsafe turning to the police for protection. This is especially relevant concerning sex workers. Criminalization means they especially can not trust the police for support. Although efforts have been made in recent years to improve relationships between Indigenous communities and police, efforts are still needed to promote increased resources in remote areas, diverse hiring practices, ongoing and meaningful cultural education, and wraparound services, including mental health support, health care, and other culturally relevant social services.
In addition to a lack of police attention, cases of MMIWG are under-reported by the media. 95% of cases concerning MMIWG never receive coverage from national or international news media. The few stories that do receive mainstream coverage often rely on problematic narratives and stereotypes. This includes focusing on a victim’s use of drugs and alcohol or criminal history, misgendering gender-diverse and transgender victims, and other forms of victim-blaming that fail to take into account systemic causes of MMIWG. Media discourse therefore naturalizes MMIWG by ignoring or sensationalizing the issue and treating it without care, respect, and sensitivity. Problematic media depictions are also often a form of retraumatization for friends and family of victims.
It is essential that any discussion surrounding MMIWG centers on the voices of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit peoples. Policy recommendations from the 2019 National Enquiry highlight the importance of promoting and enhancing fundamental rights to culture, health, security, and justice. The enquiry also emphasizes the role of cultural and trauma-informed wellness and healing practices. To fully address the ongoing genocide, solutions must address socioeconomic inequality, historical and transgenerational trauma, institutional oppression, and the agency and expertise of Indigenous women and girls. Of course, Indigenous peoples are not a monolith, varying in self-identification, geographical location, residency, and gender and sexuality. Taking into account these differences is the only way to create equitable and non-discriminatory change. All Canadians have a responsibility to educate themselves, engage in processes of decolonization, confront and speak out against oppression, and aid in holding governments accountable.
McGill University is founded upon the unceded traditional territories of Indigenous peoples, namely the Haudenosaunee Confederacy who are also known as the Guardians of the Eastern Door, and Anishinabeg Nations. More specifically, our campus is built on territory that has long acted as a site of meeting and exchange amongst the Kanien’kehá:ka peoples, who are the rightful stewards of these lands and waters. We are settlers here on Tiohtià:ke (Montréal), which is situated in the larger Turtle Island (North America). It is important to keep this constantly in our minds so that we can move forward actively resisting neocolonialism in all of its forms and manifestations. Find out more here: https://native-land.ca/
Edited by Amira Berdouk
Mia Alexander is in her second year at McGill University, currently pursuing a B.A. Joint Honours in International Development Studies and Political Science. She is particularly interested in gender equality and climate justice.