Thank you.
I'm with the Aboriginal Women's Action Network. It is 26 years old, and it is a feminist group of indigenous women. Up until very recently, we were just a volunteer group with no office and were organizing out of our homes.
In our commemoration project, we held a five-day group with survivors. They were all elders, and it was such an eye-opener for us to learn what these women had gone through.
We also held a group with Inuit women in Montreal because we noted that there was a breaking news story about Inuit women dying there and no one caring. There were so many deaths that were going unnoticed, so we went there to be in solidarity with Inuit women who were on the streets of Montreal.
AWAN has been involved in the Women's Memorial March, the ground zero for the Pickton massacre. We also had intervenor status in the Cindy Gladue case as well as the charter challenge against the PCEPA law. I just wanted to offer that.
We already know that indigenous women and girls are very much overrepresented in sex trafficking in Canada. There are many reports that say around 50% of trafficking victims are indigenous women and girls. Considering that we're only about 4% of the population, we are vulnerable and easy targets due to our marginalized status both in our own communities and in society at large. I would say that's an indicator of how successful the colonization project has been with respect to the diminished status of indigenous women in our own communities.
I won't cite stats, but you do know from the national inquiry that there's rampant violence not only historically but also currently, and there's ongoing rampant violence against indigenous women. We experience probably the highest rates of sexual abuse originating out of intergenerational trauma in the residential schools, as well as in the child welfare system. In this province, about 55% of the children in care are indigenous. I note that it's about 85% or 90% in other provinces across this country.
There was a report released in 2016 in B.C. by the representative for children and youth, citing a study of reported cases of sexual abuse in foster homes that close to 70% of victims were indigenous girls, and another 12% indigenous boys. So it's extremely high. We're being sexually abused as children. We're targeted as adults. Sherene Razack has written quite eloquently about how we're viewed as being sexually available.
Contributing factors today are the systemic racism, the grinding poverty, the utter lack of services, the lack of culturally relevant services and the lack of educational opportunities.
I don't know how much time I have left, but I wanted to move on to what I would like to see happen.
We are a part of the women's equality...I forget our name. We took intervenor status, so you have that on the record. I advocate for an equity model. I would like to see the criminalization of pimps and johns. I would like to see better adherence to the PCEPA law by the police.
On social services, there have been many overdoses. Again, these are overrepresented by indigenous people. We need improved social supports for people who are caught in prostitution. I think it's pretty clear that there's not a big distinction between trafficking and prostitution. I advocate for a guarantee livable income.
Finally, and especially, I would really like to see the demand be addressed that the equality of women be seen as an important issue.
I forgot to mention that in terms of social services support, I would really like to see more exiting programs for indigenous women who have been prostituted across this country.