Thank you.
Let me begin by thanking the chair and members of the committee for the invitation to appear before you on behalf of the Assembly of First Nations women's council.
My name is Chief Elizabeth Cloud. I represent the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point in southern Ontario, known as the place where Dudley George was shot and killed in 1995.
The Assembly of First Nations is a national organization representing first nations citizens in Canada, inclusive of gender and residency. The AFN women's council works to ensure that the concerns and perspectives of first nations women inform all the work of the AFN. I represent the Ontario women chiefs at the national council.
Violence against indigenous women is not only a criminal concern or a social issue, it is also a fundamental human rights issue. Evidence suggests that indigenous women are targeted for violence and fail to receive an adequate level of protection by the state because of their gender and indigenous identity.
In a 2004 Canadian government survey, indigenous women reported rates of violence--including domestic violence and sexual assault--three and a half times higher than non-indigenous women. An earlier survey conducted in 1996 by Indian and Northern Affairs noted that young first nations women are five times more likely than other women to die as a result of violence.
There is still a lack of national data. Police in Canada often do not even record whether or not the victims of crime are indigenous. According to a 2009 report by Amnesty International, Saskatchewan is the only jurisdiction in Canada where information on long-term cases of missing and murdered women has been compiled by state authorities and made public. In that province in 2007, a joint committee of government, indigenous people, police, and community groups reported that 60% of the long-term cases of missing women are indigenous, although indigenous women make up only 6% of that population. The fate of these women remains unknown to this date.
The Native Women's Association of Canada has used the testimony of family members and media reports to create an ongoing list of indigenous women who have gone missing or been murdered over the last three decades. They have collected information on more than 520 cases. We are sincerely grateful for all of the work they do. We understand that it's going to be reported--hopefully today--that there is even a higher number of recorded cases.
While there are limitations on available data, a strong and compelling picture has emerged, and the rates at which indigenous women are experiencing violence in a targeted fashion are nothing short of appalling. In addition, an Amnesty International 2009 report notes that police have often failed to take reports of missing and murdered women seriously, delaying investigations, or making little effort to conduct searches or otherwise seek public help in the search for missing indigenous women. A lack of responsiveness by police services is no doubt a contributing factor to the number of cases that remain unsolved.
Amnesty's report also notes that perpetrators may target indigenous women, believing that the indifference of police or society to the well-being of indigenous women will allow them to escape justice. It is for these reasons that, as I stated earlier, violence against indigenous women is more than a criminal concern or a social issue but a human rights issue.
The Assembly of First Nations was pleased to hear the importance of this issue recognized in the Speech from the Throne last month and welcomes a commitment of new funding to begin addressing the issue. However, there are concerns with regard to how this money will be spent and whether it will provide the necessary and critical supports for women at risk or currently experiencing violence.
We need to recognize that there is a need for more shelters. Across Canada there are fewer than 40 emergency shelters serving indigenous women. This is not acceptable, particularly given the disproportionate rates at which first nations women experience violence.
There is also a need for better victim services and supports, along with targeted programs to assist women who have been trafficked in the sex trade.
Last year the Assembly of First Nations committed to joining the Native Women's Association of Canada, Amnesty International, and others in a call for a national action plan. This would include dedicated advocacy with all levels of government through the best means possible, bringing clear focus and attention to this issue, including making authorities more accountable for their actions.
It is our position that such a plan would, first, recognize violence faced by indigenous women; second, work to build an effective and unbiased police response through appropriate training; third, supply adequate resources and coordination to address violence; fourth, improve public awareness and accountability through the consistent collection and publication of comprehensive national statistics on rates of violent crime against indigenous women; and fifth, include supports to reduce the risk to aboriginal women by closing the economic and social gap between indigenous and non-indigenous people in Canada.
The Assembly of First Nations has also called for the creation of a joint parliamentary committee--made up of this council, the status of women; aboriginal affairs; justice and human rights; and public safety--to study the issue of why so many indigenous women and girls are missing or have been murdered, why so many cases remain unsolved, and to provide specific recommendations on how to address and prevent a continuation of these conditions.
While specific policing responses are within provincial jurisdiction, the matter requires national oversight and coordination in a manner that is elevated above the specific mandate of a federal department.
Others are looking closely at this issue, and it is an item of attention and key concern for the aboriginal affairs ministers working group, created by the Council of the Federation last summer. The aboriginal affairs ministers working group will be meeting in Toronto next week, and we hope it will not only make this a priority focus, but will also agree on the need to develop a more coordinated approached to address violence against aboriginal women and girls, including addressing systemic influences such as the health, social, and economic status of aboriginal women.
As a closing thought, the federal government has recently signalled its intention to take steps towards endorsing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which sets out minimum standards for human rights. Article 22 of the declaration states that:
Particular attention shall be paid to the rights and special needs of indigenous elders, women, youth, children and persons with disabilities in the implementation of this Declaration.
And it continues:
States shall take measures, in conjunction with indigenous peoples, to ensure that indigenous women and children enjoy the full protection and guarantees against all forms of violence and discrimination.
The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is currently under way in New York, and our National Chief, Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, is presenting to the forum tomorrow afternoon. He will be calling for international attention to the alarmingly high rates of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls, and the high rates of violence against indigenous women and girls.
It is our belief that Parliament can and should play a role in addressing this situation in collaboration with the indigenous leadership and women's organizations, and can take concrete steps to address the underlying issues that continue to place first nations women at risk.
Thank you.