Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada
MMIWG in Canada: A Human Rights Crisis
Missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG) in Canada is a human rights crisis.
Indigenous women and communities, women’s groups, and international organizations have long called for action.
Calls were ignored until the launch of the national public inquiry on December 8, 2015.
Dawn Lavell-Harvard refers to MMIWG as a national tragedy and a national shame.
In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada supported the call for a national public inquiry.
The National Inquiry’s Final Report was completed and presented to the public on June 3, 2019.
Statistics and Demographics
Disagreement about the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
In 2014, the RCMP acknowledged more than 1,200 missing and murdered Indigenous women between 1980 and 2012.
Indigenous women’s groups document the number to be over 4,000.
Confusion is due to under-reporting, lack of an effective database, and failure to identify cases by ethnicity.
NWAC Figures on Violence Against Indigenous Women
Indigenous women 15 years and older were 3.5 times more likely to experience violence than non-Indigenous women (2004 General Social Survey).
Between 1997 and 2000, the homicide rate for Indigenous women was nearly seven times higher than the rate for non-Indigenous women.
Statistics fail to capture the deep trauma on entire communities.
The missing and murdered were mothers, daughters, sisters, aunties, cousins, and grandmothers.
Loretta Saunders, an Inuk woman murdered at age 26 in 2014, was completing her honors thesis on this issue.
Ongoing tragedy affects all Indigenous women and girls from all walks of life.
Perpetrators are sometimes known to the victim, but many are strangers.
Historical Context: Colonialism, Racism, and Sexualization
Understanding the history is crucial to understanding the tragedy facing women today.
The issue is as old as the development of Canada itself.
Must be understood within the historical context of settler colonialism.
Indigenous women were sexualized and held against dangerous cultural attitudes and stereotypes.
E. Pauline Johnson (Tekahionwake) wrote about these stereotypes 125 years ago, criticizing the images of the "Indian squaw".
Janice Acoose drew attention to the racialized and sexualized legacy of settler colonialism that has led to an acceptance of violence.
Colonial attitudes justified policies targeting Indigenous women and families, such as the Indian Act and residential schools.
Other examples include the pass system and forced sterilization.
These policies limited Indigenous women’s livelihood by severing community ties and preventing access to resources and safety networks.
Colonial attitudes also justified the mass removal of Indigenous children through policies of state apprehension, such as the Sixties Scoop.
Violence against Indigenous women and girls today cannot be understood without examining the effects of Canada’s history of settler colonialism.
Amnesty International: A Call to Action
In October 2004, Amnesty International released a report called Stolen Sisters: A Human Rights Response to Discrimination and Violence against Indigenous Women in Canada.
The report was a call for action in response to the appalling number of Indigenous women who are victims of racialized and sexualized violence.
Highlighted the stories of nine women, including Helen Betty Osborne and Felicia Solomon.
Noted a lack of comprehensive reporting and statistical analysis.
Called for more police accountability, stating that Indigenous women are both overpoliced and under protected.
Documented the social and economic marginalization of Indigenous women, noting that racism, poverty and marginalization, along with a lack of police protection, heighten Indigenous women’s vulnerability to violence.
In 2009, Amnesty International released No More Stolen Sisters, highlighting five key issues:
The role of racism and misogyny in perpetuating violence
Sharp disparities in the fulfilment of Indigenous women’s rights
Continued disruption of Indigenous societies
Disproportionately high numbers of Indigenous women in Canadian prisons
Inadequate police response.
In 2014, Amnesty presented a report to the Special Parliamentary Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women.
Urged the federal government to take immediate action through a comprehensive approach.
Amnesty International has been instrumental in the push to launch a national public inquiry.
Native Women’s Association of Canada: Sisters in Spirit Initiative
In 2005, NWAC secured funds from Status of Women Canada to research and provide awareness about violence against Indigenous women.
Launched the Sisters in Spirit Initiative and developed a national database to track cases of violence.
Final report included a framework for addressing and preventing violence, along with stories of missing women and recommendations for policy development.
NWAC’s prevention and safety policy includes tools for educating young Indigenous women and girls on safety issues and looks at risk factors.
Highlighted the need for police accountability and transparency, cultural sensitivity training, and good relationships with Indigenous communities.
Expressed a need for more research and awareness about various forms of violence, particularly violence perpetrated by strangers or acquaintances.
Articulated that the violence experienced by Indigenous women is much higher than reported in government statistics and police-collected data.
Noted that about six out of ten incidents of violent crimes against Indigenous people go unreported and that demographic information is not always collected.
Legal Strategy Coalition on Violence Against Indigenous Women
Formed in 2014 following the murder of Loretta Saunders.
Supports a national inquiry and seeks to bring justice to the families of missing and murdered Indigenous women.
In February 2015, the LSC released a report arguing that over 700 recommendations made in 58 reports have been largely ignored.
RCMP Reports on Violence against Indigenous Women
In 2013, the commissioner of the RCMP called for a report on missing and murdered Indigenous women to help guide operational planning.
In May 2014, the RCMP released Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women: A National Operational Overview.
Documented 1,181 people — 164 missing Indigenous women and 1,017 Indigenous female homicide victims between 1980 and 2012.
An updated report was released in 2015, documenting an additional 11 Indigenous women identified as missing since the 2014 overview.
Prior to these reports, the RCMP’s investigations had included a stretch of British Columbia’s Highway 16, known as the Highway of Tears.
The RCMP acknowledges 18 murders and disappearances, Indigenous groups argue that the real number exceeds 40 because it reflects only disappearances and murders in a specific geographic area.
Critique of RCMP Reports
Amnesty International and the Legal Strategy Coalition on Violence against Indigenous Women critiqued the RCMP report for having critical gaps in the data.
Amnesty noted that the 2015 update only included cases within the RCMP’s own jurisdiction.
Missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Ontario and Québec, for example, were not included in the update.
The LSC criticized the 2015 report for highlighting intimate partner violence as a risk factor, which places blame on Indigenous men and communities while failing to point out that many of the perpetrators are acquaintances or strangers.
Response from the Federal Government
Despite the ongoing push from Indigenous women and communities and human rights groups, the federal government continued to dismiss the need to launch a national public inquiry.
Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated that violence against Indigenous women and girls in Canada should not be viewed as “sociological phenomenon.”
In December 2014, Harper stated that a national inquiry wasn’t “really high on [the government’s] radar.”
Following the change in government in 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the government of Canada launched a national public inquiry.
MMIWG and the Trudeau government
On December 8, 2015, the Government of Canada announced plans for the launch of an independent national inquiry.
The government pledged million over the course of two years for the inquiry and held a “pre-inquiry” to seek input from stakeholders across Canada.
The inquiry was officially launched in September 2016 with a final report due by November 1, 2018.
The pre-inquiry process (December 2015 - February 2016) sought input from family members, Indigenous communities, and front-line workers.
Recommendations included transparency, independence, sensitivity, and a broad approach to analyzing the issues.
The inquiry must take into consideration — and recommend solutions to — all of the socio-economic, cultural and political causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, trans and two-spirited people.
The government appointed five commissioners to lead the inquiry: Marion Buller, Michèle Audette, Brian Eyolfson, Marilyn Poitras, and Qajaq Robinson.
Marilyn Poitras resigned in July 2017, stating that she is "unable to perform [her] duties as a commissioner with the process designed in its current structure."
The National Inquiry officially began on 1 September 2016.
It was expected to release an interim report by 1 November 2017 and a final report by 1 November 2018.
Criticisms of the Inquiry pointed to lacking lacking transparency, communication and inclusivity.
Susan Vella, the commission’s lead counsel, said that while the inquiry is open to hearing testimony from Indigenous men and boys, its focus will remain on Indigenous women and girls.
Prevailing Attitudes toward Indigenous Women
Writer Maria Campbell stated that “patriarchy and misogyny are so ingrained in our society that they are normal, and our silence makes them normal.”
Indigenous women activists have referred to the lack of awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous women as a “deafening silence.”
In 2012, Mi’kmaq lawyer, activist and professor Pamela Palmater spoke out against offensive names of menu items at the Holy Chuck Restaurant.
In July 2015, two paintings appeared on a storefront window — including one depicting bound and gagged Indigenous women — during the Hospitality Days cultural festival in Bathurst.
Activists and the families of missing and murdered Indigenous women continue to persevere against these prevailing attitudes, seeking justice, accountability, reconciliation and better public education.
Support and Awareness
With the launch of the national public inquiry and more awareness about MMIWG, there has been a tremendous amount of support for Indigenous families and communities.
Indigenous associations have provided political, emotional and legal support and have also been instrumental in pushing for an inquiry.
The annual Women’s Memorial March, also called Their Spirits Live Within Us, has taken place every 14 February since the early 1990s.
Other grassroots initiatives to raise awareness include the Walking with Our Sisters Campaign and the REDress Campaign and the Faceless Dolls Project.
Support has also come from non-Indigenous allies who have participated in vigils and awareness campaigns, as well as mainstream media.
In June 2016, it was announced that actress Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy) was working on a documentary called “Gone Missing” to help raise awareness about MMIWG.
National Inquiry’s Final Report
On June 3, 2019, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls released its Final Report titled Reclaiming Power and Place.
The two-volume report spanned more than 1,000 pages and contained 231 individual “Calls for Justice.”
Chief Commissioner Marion Buller declared that missing and murdered are connected by economic, social and political marginalization, racism, and misogyny woven into the fabric of Canadian society.
Buller condemned Canadian society for its indifference and inaction in the face of the tragedy confronting Indigenous women and girls for the past several decades.
The Final Report declared that the violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people is “a national tragedy of epic proportion.”
The commissioners called for a new era in relations between Indigenous women, girls, 2SLGBTQQIA, and the Canadian people, a relationship centered on the empowerment of Indigenous women and girls.
Ending this genocide and rebuilding Canada into a decolonized nation requires a new relationship and an equal partnership between all Canadians and Indigenous Peoples.
National Inquiry Facts
—Total number of participants in the Truth Gathering Process:
family members and survivors provided testimony
individuals shared through artistic expressions
experts, Knowledge Keepers and officials provided testimony
community hearings were held across Canada
Knowledge Keeper, expert and institutional hearings were held across Canada
Before today, I understood MMIWG2S+ primarily through community involvement and discussions. I have a basic knowledge of what MMIWG2S+ is based on that experience.
Today, I've gained a deeper understanding of the systemic issues that exacerbate the crisis, such as underreporting of violence, lack of an effective database, and historical policies like the Indian Act and residential schools that have contributed to the vulnerability of Indigenous women. Learning about the specific statistics and reports from organizations like NWAC, Amnesty International, and the RCMP has also highlighted the widespread nature of the problem across Canada.
The sheer amount of violence directed towards MMIWG2S+ is horrifying and deeply concerning. It's disheartening to learn about the disproportionately high rates of violence, homicide, and the lack of adequate protection for Indigenous women. This level of violence is unacceptable and demands immediate and comprehensive action.
As Indigenous women, protecting ourselves involves several strategies, including:
Strengthening community support and safety networks.
Increasing awareness and education about risk factors and safety measures.
Advocating for culturally sensitive and trauma-informed policing and justice systems.
Empowering ourselves through education, cultural practices, and self-defense training.
Supporting initiatives that address the root causes of violence, such as poverty, racism, and colonialism.
As Indigenous women, we have a significant responsibility to:
Support and uplift each other, creating safe spaces and networks of solidarity.
Advocate for policy changes and government action to address the crisis.
Raise awareness about MMIWG2S+ within our communities and to the broader public.
Participate in ceremonies and healing practices to honor the missing