The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and People of Two Spirits (MMIWG2S+) must end Canada’s longest-running crisis. This 2016 study examines Canadian Indigenous issues. Indigenous peoples are disproportionately affected by colonial concerns. MMIWG2S+ violence, disappearance, support services, and police response and accountability are addressed on this page. By studying their history, we can understand how these issues affect personal and professional obligations inside the Reflection Wheel. We will also discuss how resolving these issues is essential to Canadian reconciliation.
MMIWG2S+ is a significant step toward addressing systematic injustices against Indigenous people in Canada. These unacceptable disproportionate rates of assault, disappearance, and abuse of Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people prompted this research in 2016. This study investigates systemic causes of sexual assault, child abuse, domestic violence, bullying, harassment, suicide, and self-harm against Indigenous women and girls. Police, child welfare, healthcare, criminal justice, political leadership, and Indigenous peoples’ racism and misogyny are covered.
National Inquiry overlaps with Manitoba’s Aboriginal Justice Inquiry (1991), the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (1996), and Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2015). Many committees have blamed colonialism for violence against Indigenous women and girls. The National Inquiry acknowledges these facts and concludes that Canada’s colonial relationship with Indigenous Peoples must end to stop this brutality. Canada lacks comprehensive data on violence against Indigenous women and girls, making this inquiry crucial. Understanding Indigenous women and girls’ lives, causes, and solutions is vital (Khokhar, 2021). The National Inquiry seeks to uncover, recognize, and reveal the truth while honoring Indigenous women and girls. We will discuss Indigenous Peoples’ current challenges in the context of MMIWG2S+ and its historical antecedents, emphasizing its importance in personal and professional life and reconciliation in Canada.
Canadian Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people face many current issues that disproportionately affect their health and safety. One of Canada’s biggest Indigenous crises is the horrific assault and abduction of Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people. Due to past injustices, Indigenous women and girls are more likely to be physically and sexually abused than others in Canada (Khokhar, 2021). Indigenous families and communities are devastated and demanding justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women. Indigenous women and girls who have experienced or are at risk of violence lack support services. Insufficient resources, culturally inappropriate services, and distance make getting help difficult. The lack of support services hinders survivors’ recovery and perpetuates Indigenous violence.
Police Accountability and Response Indigenous people distrust police. Indigenous women’s assault allegations were met with weak and prejudiced police responses (Matheson et al., 2022). Additionally, internal police accountability systems have failed to resolve wrongdoing and help victims. This accountability gap exacerbates indigenous issues. Social Disparities: Indigenous people face barriers to education, healthcare, housing, and economic opportunities. Differentiation makes people vulnerable and breeds hatred. Residential schools destroyed cultural traditions and links, causing cultural alienation. Indigenous women and girls may lose their identity and become vulnerable due to a lack of lineage education.
Indigenous Canadians face colonization, institutional discrimination, and loss of rights and autonomy. Colonization and Eurocentric judicial systems that failed Indigenous women and girls may have caused torture and abduction (Matheson et al., 2022). Support services are scarce because Indigenous peoples are culturally absorbed and disempowered. Colonial policy enforcement mistrust causes police response issues. Dispossession of Indigenous land and resources causes poverty. Finally, residential schools eradicated Indigenous languages and practices. Understanding these historical factors helps resolve conflicts and reconcile.
The Eastern and Southern Domains of the Reflection Wheel explain why Indigenous Canadians must address modern issues. These issues affect Eastern Domain Indigenous peoples, including humans. These issues resonate with me and show me the need for justice and healing. Contemporary challenges motivate indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people to act and unite. They emphasize acknowledging Indigenous Peoples’ traumas and advocating for change. Indigenous Peoples’ challenges are linked to Southern Domain professional obligation. These issues show why law, social work, education, healthcare, and public policy professionals must understand Indigenous issues (Better Care Network, 2015). Successful social work support programs must understand the past and present causes of violence against Indigenous women and girls. Lawyers must also improve Indigenous justice access and address systemic disparities. The Reflection Wheel links personal and professional reconciliation and Indigenous Peoples’ issues.
To address Indigenous Peoples’ current challenges, Canada must acknowledge the systemic inequalities Indigenous communities face, particularly Indigenous women and girls. I appreciate Indigenous voices, learning from them, and amplifying their calls for justice and healing. Indigenous sovereignty, self-determination, fundamental rights, and equitable representation and inclusion are included. Professional reconciliation is reforming laws, resources, and institutions to help Indigenous people. It promotes workplace cultural understanding, trauma-informed approaches, and anti-discrimination. Reconciliation requires questioning the status quo, promoting Indigenous ideas, and connecting with Indigenous Peoples. Finally, it ensures Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit peoples’ future rights, safety, and well-being.
In conclusion, historical injustices and persistent discrimination underlie violence against Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people in Canada. Understanding these issues and their history is crucial to reconciliation. To address these issues, the Reflection Wheel emphasizes personal and professional responsibility. Deconstructing colonial legacies, acknowledging Indigenous rights and self-determination, and advocating for structural change are necessary for reconciliation. We must collaborate to ensure a more just future for Indigenous Canadians.
References
Better Care Network. (2015, June). Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada | Better Care Network. Bettercarenetwork.org. https://bettercarenetwork.org/library/social-welfare-systems/child-care-and-protection-policies/honouring-the-truth-reconciling-for-the-future-summary-of-the-final-report-of-the-truth-and
Khokhar, E. (2021, January 29). Missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls: The Facts. Amnesty International Canada. https://amnesty.ca/no-more-stolen-sisters/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-facts/#:~:text=In%20the%2022%2Dyear%20period
Matheson, K., Seymour, A., Landry, J., Ventura, K., Arsenault, E., & Anisman, H. (2022). Canada’s Colonial Genocide of Indigenous Peoples: A Review of the Psychosocial and Neurobiological Processes Linking Trauma and Intergenerational Outcomes. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), 6455. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116455
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