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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 11:13 pm
Time: 11:13 pm
Results for indigenous peoples (canada)
2 results foundAuthor: Heckbert, Doug Title: Turning Points: A Study of the Factors Related to the Successful Reintegration of Aboriginal Offenders Summary: This study examined the lives of 68 Aboriginal ex-offenders who, at one time, had been very serious offenders and who had turned their lives around to become law-abiding citizens successfully integrated into the community. A similar study (Hodgson & Heckbert, 1995) identified a number of factors associated with the successful integration of Aboriginal offenders. The present study served as a follow-up to examine these factors more thoroughly and to explore other factors associated with success. The sample, chosen from the Edmonton (Alberta) area had to meet three conditions: the participants had to be Aboriginal; they had to have served one or more sentences in a federal penitentiary; and, they had to have been out of trouble for at least two years. Twelve women and 56 men took part in the study. The participants were interviewed according to a questionnaire (Appendix A) that guided them through; their early years, getting into trouble, getting out of trouble and staying out of trouble. Each interview was tape recorded, the tapes were transcribed and the transcripts were used as the primary source of data, which is presented using basic statistical methods with excerpts from the interviews. The study found that the majority of the participants said that their childhood years were dysfunctional. Almost two-thirds (62%) described their childhood as negative and 81% described their adolescence as negative. They experienced unstable family environments and living conditions of abuse and neglect. For example, 40% said that they had lived in an orphanage or in foster care and 28% said that they had been placed in a residential school. In addition, 40% reported being abused (physically, mentally, and/or sexually). As a result of their early living conditions, many respondents resorted to crime and violence. The respondents reported committing a great number of offences and having spent large amounts of time in the correctional system. When asked what would have prevented them from getting into trouble in the first place, the two main factors were communication and family support. Gradually, however, the respondents turned their lives around. This process took many different forms and different lengths of time for each person. There were many variables that influenced their getting out of trouble, but some of the main influences were: controlling alcohol and drug use, family support, and feeling sick and tired of being in trouble. At this point in time, the participants have stayed out of conflict with the law for at least two years, but most have been crime-free for many years. There were many factors that influenced their life choices, but some of the main factors in staying out of trouble include: personal values and identity, family, staying clean and sober, self-improvement activities, and friends. For each respondent the pivotal turning point was different. For some, it was the combination of different variables. Change was often slow with many relapses, but change took place. This process of change was often personal, thus, difficult to quantify. This study also demonstrates that Aboriginal spirituality and cultural activities were a major factor in the respondents’ recovery. However, many respondents mentioned that these activities were not always respected while they were in jail. Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada, 2001. 74p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 6, 2011 at: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rsrch/reports/r112/r112_e.pdf Year: 2001 Country: Canada URL: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rsrch/reports/r112/r112_e.pdf Shelf Number: 122649 Keywords: AboriginalsIndigenous Peoples (Canada)Offenders RehabilitationPrisoner Reentry |
Author: Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Title: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in British Columbia, Canada Summary: 1. This report addresses the situation of missing and murdered indigenous women in British Columbia, Canada. It analyzes the context in which indigenous women have gone missing and been murdered over the past several years and the response to this human rights issue by the Canadian State. The report offers recommendations geared towards assisting the State in strengthening its efforts to protect and guarantee indigenous women's rights. 2. Indigenous women and girls in Canada have been murdered or have gone missing at a rate four times higher than the rate of representation of indigenous women in the Canadian population which is 4.3%. The most comprehensive numbers available were collected by the non-profit organization Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) through an initiative financed by the governmental entity Status of Women Canada. As of March 31, 2010, NWAC has gathered information regarding 582 cases of missing or murdered indigenous women and girls across the country from the past 30 years. Civil society organizations have long claimed that the number could be much higher, and new research indicates that over 1000 indigenous women could be missing or dead across Canada. Although high numbers of missing and murdered indigenous women in Canada have been identified at both the national and international levels, there are no trustworthy statistics that could assist in reaching a fuller understanding of this problem. The Government itself recognizes that Canada's official statistics do not provide accurate information regarding the true numbers of missing and murdered indigenous women. In addition, there is no reliable source of disaggregated data on violence against indigenous women and girls because police across Canada do not consistently report or record whether or not the victims of violent crime are indigenous. 3. As the report explains, the numbers of missing and murdered indigenous women are particularly concerning when considered in light of the fact that indigenous people represent a small percentage of the total population of Canada. Although the information received by the Commission indicates that this could be a nationwide phenomenon, this report is focused on the situation in British Columbia, because the number of missing and murdered indigenous women is higher there in absolute terms than any other province or territory in Canada. 4. British Columbia accounts for 160 cases, 28% of NWAC's total database of 582 and is followed by Alberta with 93 cases, 16% of the total. The high numbers of missing and murdered indigenous women in British Columbia are concentrated in two different areas of the province: Prince George, in the northern part of the province; and the Downtown East Side, an area of downtown Vancouver, the largest city and metropolitan area in the province. 5. The disappearances and murders of indigenous women in Canada are part of a broader pattern of violence and discrimination against indigenous women in the country. Various official and civil society reports demonstrate that indigenous women are victims of higher rates of violence committed by strangers and acquaintances than non-indigenous women. During the IACHR visit the Canadian government indicated that indigenous women are significantly over-represented as victims of homicide and are also three times more likely to be victims of violence than non-indigenous women. Also, indigenous women suffer more frequently from more severe forms of domestic violence than non-indigenous women. 6. According to the information received, the police have failed to adequately prevent and protect indigenous women and girls from killings and disappearances, extreme forms of violence, and have failed to diligently and promptly investigate these acts. Family members of missing and murdered indigenous women have described dismissive attitudes from police officers working on their cases, a lack of adequate resources allocated to those cases, and a lengthy failure to investigate and recognize a pattern of violence. Also, the existence of multiple policing jurisdictions in British Columbia resulted in confusion between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Vancouver Police Department regarding responsibility for investigation. This situation in turn has perpetuated the violence; as the failure to ensure that there are consequences for these crimes has given rise to both real and perceived impunity. The kinds of irregularities and deficiencies that have been denounced and documented include: poor report taking and follow up on reports of missing women; inadequate proactive strategies to prevent further harm to women in the Downtown Eastside; failure to consider and properly pursue all investigative strategies; failure to address cross-jurisdictional issues; ineffective coordination between police; and insensitive treatment of families. 7. Canadian authorities and civil society organizations largely agree on the root causes of these high levels of violence against indigenous women and the existing vulnerabilities that make indigenous women more susceptible to violence. These root causes are related to a history of discrimination beginning with colonization and continuing through inadequate and unjust laws and policies such as the Indian Act and forced enrolment in residential schools that continue to affect them. In this regard, the collection of laws determining Aboriginal status established in the Indian Act restricted the freedom of women who identified themselves as indigenous to be recognized as such. Additionally, the residential schools program separated indigenous children from their families, communities, and cultural heritage. 8. As a consequence of this historical discrimination, the IACHR understands that indigenous women and girls constitute one of the most disadvantaged groups in Canada. Poverty, inadequate housing, economic and social relegation, among other factors, contribute to their increased vulnerability to violence. In addition, prevalent attitudes of discrimination - mainly relating to gender and race - and the longstanding stereotypes to which they have been subjected, exacerbate their vulnerability. 9. The OAS Charter and the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man constitute sources of legal obligation for OAS Member states including Canada. The organs of the international and regional human rights systems for the protection of human rights have developed jurisprudence that recognizes the rights of indigenous peoples as well as the obligation to guarantee women's rights, both of which encompass rights to equality, nondiscrimination and non- violence. In this regard, international and regional human rights systems have developed a set of principles when applying the due diligence standards in cases of violence against women, as well as particular standards in relation to missing women. 10. International and regional systems have also emphasized that a State's failure to act with due diligence with respect to cases of violence against women is a form of discrimination. The lack of due diligence in cases of violence against indigenous women is especially grave as it affects not only the victims, but also their families and the communities to which they belong. In addition, given the strong connection between the greater risks for violence that indigenous women confront and the social and economic inequalities they face, when applying the due diligence standard, States must implement specific measures to address the social and economic disparities that affect them. 11. The IACHR stresses that addressing violence against indigenous women is not sufficient unless the underlying factors of racial and gender discrimination that originate and exacerbate the violence are also comprehensively addressed. A comprehensive holistic approach applied to violence against indigenous women means addressing the past and present institutional and structural inequalities confronted by these women. Elements that must be addressed include the dispossession of their land, as well as historical laws and policies that have negatively affected indigenous women, put them in an unequal situation, and prevented their full enjoyment of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. Details: Washington, DC: Organization of American States, 2014. 127p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 21, 2015 at: http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/reports/pdfs/Indigenous-Women-BC-Canada-en.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Canada URL: http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/reports/pdfs/Indigenous-Women-BC-Canada-en.pdf Shelf Number: 134433 Keywords: Gender-Based ViolenceHomicidesIndigenous Peoples (Canada)Missing PersonsViolence Against WomenViolent Crime |