More needs to be done about missing women: aboriginal group

Lana Haight, The StarPhoenix
Published: Saturday, October 18, 2008
Government and the media ought to be making more of the issue of missing aboriginal women in Canada, says a national Native organization.

"There is this silence going on in Canada, with the media, with the government. And why are our women being targeted?" said Theresa Ducharme, community development co-ordinator with the Native Women's Association of Canada in Ottawa.

On Friday, at a seminar in Saskatoon aimed at raising awareness among those working in the justice community, Ducharme and colleague Andrea Still confirmed that since 1944, 509 aboriginal women and girls have either been murdered or have gone missing in Canada. Most of those women were younger than 30. In all these years, only 12 missing aboriginal women have been found alive.

Problems such as poverty, lack of housing and insufficient services aimed at aboriginal people are rooted in larger issues.

"That all stems back to colonization. That all stems back to residential schools. That all stems back to the Indian Act. It's a continuation of genocide. It's a strong word, but that's the reality," said Ducharme.

Among the 40 people registered for Friday's workshop were Saskatoon police Chief Clive Weighill, several justice students, officials with Saskatchewan Justice and community workers. Saskatoon was the eighth stop on a 10-city tour of the Sisters in Spirit Justice Community Awareness workshops.

Three years ago, the Native Women's Association of Canada launched Sisters in Spirit to raise awareness of missing women and girls, to develop ways of improving how the community responds to violence against aboriginal women and to conduct research into the issue of missing women.

In its short history, the organization has accomplished much, Ducharme and Still said. In 2006, Sisters in Spirit vigils were held in 11 communities in Canada. The next year, that number was up to 30. And this year, 40 communities held vigils, remembering missing and murdered aboriginal women.

Several "toolkits" -- resources for women, community members and justice officials -- have been developed. After this year's tour, Ducharme and Still have another idea of a needed resource. Families of missing women need information about what role they play in finding missing women.

lhaight@sp.canwest.com