Cora Morgan, ombudsman of the First Nations family for the Manitoba Assembly of Leaders. Frontline workers are calling for more support for Indigenous families, after a Statistics Canada analysis found that women in First Nations, Inuit and Métis were more likely to be physically or sexually assaulted during their lifetime if they were state care as children. The report, recently published in the Juristat, reported that 63 per cent of indigenous women had been abused and almost half – 46 per cent – had been sexually assaulted. The analysis found that 81 percent of indigenous women who participated in the child care system had been physically or sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Darlene Okemaysim-Sicotte is co-chair of Iskwewuk E-wichiwitochik, which means “women walking together” in Cree. The Saskatoon group has been supporting families of missing women for almost two decades. Okemaysim-Sicotte has spoken to many women about how violence permeated their lives as children in care. “Their experiences of trauma and violence began at a young age by taking them from their family and then putting them in abusive foster homes,” he said. The analysis said that violence as a whole is linked to a historical and ongoing trauma of “colonization and related policies aimed at the elimination of indigenous cultures and the dismemberment of indigenous families and communities.” Certain characteristics in a person’s life increase the chances of experiencing violence, and in particular caring for him as a child. Indigenous women were almost six times more likely than non-indigenous women to be placed in government care as children, the report said. Across Canada, 52.2 percent of children in foster care are indigenous, although they make up about 7.7 percent of the total child population. There are about 10,000 children in care in Manitoba alone. About 90 percent are indigenous. This province was named the zero point of the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women. Cora Morgan, the First Nations’s advocate for the Manitoba Assembly of Leaders, said the arrest of a child was inherently violent. “The most violent act you can do to a woman is to steal her child.” The National Inquiry into Missing and Killed Indigenous Women and Girls was heard by many people who experienced violence and loss of identity while in care. They also shared how they suffered significant damage when their own children were arrested. The final research report showed a link between the national crisis and the child welfare system. Hilda Anderson-Pyrz is president of the National Family and Survivors Circle. It brings together indigenous women from different backgrounds who develop a national plan in response to research. “This publication underscores the urgent need for immediate action by all governments to prevent further violence against indigenous women, girls and (LGBTQ) individuals,” Anderson-Pierce said in an email. Anderson-Pyrz said there were indications that many indigenous women and girls who went missing or were murdered had been abducted by their families as children, resulting in trauma and destabilization that led to a greater likelihood of experiencing violence. In 2020, the homicide rate for indigenous women was more than five times that of non-indigenous women. That same year, the federal government passed legislation to revise child welfare, giving indigenous groups jurisdiction over their own children. Numerous First Nations and other indigenous groups establish frameworks for power in child and family services. A handful already has jurisdiction. The Canadian government has a responsibility to ensure that Indigenous families are not harmed, Anderson-Pierce said. “Systems need to focus on the broader goals of well-being, treatment and helping families to restore connections, culture and language, not on child interventions,” he said. The Statistics Canada report found that other characteristics, including disability and housing insecurity, were also associated with a higher likelihood of violence against Indigenous women. In addition, indigenous women were more than twice as likely to report that they had little or no trust in the police compared to non-native women. Okemaysim-Sicotte said she encouraged changes at every level to make women safer. But, he said, more needs to be done. “Tragedy still happens every day.”
