With the memory of Daleen Bosse still fresh in her memory, assistant professor of Social Work at the First Nations University of Canada Sharon Acoose worries about the trend of violence against First Nations women in Canada that is killing so many people.
THE NIPAWIN JOURNAL
Tyler Clarke/Journal Staff
Wednesday August 20, 2008
With the memory of Daleen Bosse still fresh in her memory, assistant professor of Social Work at the First Nations University of Canada Sharon Acoose worries about the trend of violence against First Nations women in Canada that is killing so many people.
"She was a very good student and very passionate," Acoose said of Bosse, whom she met while they both attended the Saskatchewan Indian Federation College, now the First Nations University of Canada. Acoose also grew up with one of the women related to the Robert Pickton serial killing.
"When you know them it really hurts," she said.
According to a report by Statistics Canada, Aboriginal women are three to five times more likely than other women to die as a result of violence. Amnesty International campaigner Craig Benjamin said this pattern is directly related to racism, and the historically racist attitude of the Canadian government. Through the denial of status to Aboriginal women, the Aboriginal scoop, wherein First Nations children were taken in great numbers into the government's social services programs, and the residential school system, First Nations people have been marginalized.
On the Daleen Bosse case, Benjamin said that Bosse was treated as just another First Nations runaway, and that police forces assumed she left on her own accord, and would return on her own, like most runaways.
"My recollection is the family reported that intensive search for evidence was delayed too long," Benjamin said. According to the Amnesty International website, although Bosse's vehicle was found June 4 2004, a forensic examination was not carried out until April 2005.
With regards to the failure of police to act on disappearing First Nations women, Benjamin said "there are some men who have taken advantage of that," which helps explain the higher numbers of violence against First Nations women than others.
Acoose, who worked the streets as a prostitute a lot earlier in her life, has similar accounts of police inactivity.
"They are inactive because they just don't care," she firmly said.
Acoose said she was raped while working as a prostitute. When she went to the police to report the rape, the impression she said they gave her was that she was a prostitute, and as such deserved to be raped.
When her brother was shot, Acoose said police responded with the same level of apathy.
Acoose recognizes some police officers tried their best to help, specifically with the Bosse case. Regardless, she said more officers need to begin caring.
Racism underlies all these issues, according to director of Indian Social Work at the First Nations University of Canada Yvonne Howse, and education has a lot to do with it.
"Look at the high school, how many deal with First Nations people, and how many in elementary and high schools, universities. Not very much," Howse said.
"It's the attitude of the country that First Nations have been treated like second-class people in their own country."
She said the fact that history is not being taught from First Nations perspectives helps foster this Euro-dominated mindset.
General racism, such as friends getting together and making racist comments, is an offshoot of this, which results in a much larger problem problem.
"Comments are made of wagon burners or other obscene names… How many people will hold each other accountable?" Not until it's unacceptable will people hold each other accountable, she said.
Howse said a recent example of this was the 2001 rape of a 12 year old First Nations girl in the Tisdale area, which Howse attended court for. She said she attended court because she "felt that young lady needed support and that people believe her."
On Sept. 30, 2001, it is alleged that three men picked up a 12 year old girl on the stops of a bar, gave her beer in their truck, and brought her into their truck. During the trail all but one of the three suspects were acquitted, a verdict Howse and many others disagreed with.
"I believe [the trail] should have never been over there, maybe in the city of Saskatoon," Howse said, as a lot of the people in the court proceedings knew each other. "Who knows what happened, but I think [the three suspects] should have been found guilty… I believe her."
Amnesty International's Craig Benjamin said that images of racism towards First Nations people are still prevalent in mainstream North American society. A video game from the early 80s called Custer's Revenge requires the player of the game to make their character rape a First Nations woman. This kind of thing, Benjamin said, is central to the dehumanization of First Nations women.
"Women's bodies are often a central part of that dehumanization," he said, adding that rape has long been a weapon of war, in that it humiliates the victim and makes the guilty party feel morally superior.
"Sexual abuse against Aboriginal women has a long history in our country… It's part of a much larger pattern."
"Racism is a horrible repressive behaviour, but it exists," Howse said. "There's no quick answer."
Saskatchewan Aboriginal Women's Circle Corporation president Judy Hughes said that some progress has been made with regards to awareness and understanding of First Nations culture, though a lot of work still has to be done.
"A lot of us experience [racism] on a daily basis… Racism seems to be fairly commonplace in Saskatchewan," she said, adding it's frequently the case that First Nations people are denied jobs by employers, and rental homes by landowners, based on their race.
Daleen Kay Bosse, 25 at the time of her disappearance, was a member of the Lloydminster-area Onion Lake First Nation. She was also an education student at the University of Saskatchewan with aspirations to become a teacher, as well as being a mother and wife. Douglas R. Hales, 30, of White Fox has been charged with her murder and offering an indignity to a body.
The Native Women's Association of Canada estimates that about 500 Native women have gone missing in the last 30 years in Canada, most of whom are still unaccounted for.
The Women's Circle Corporation, which serves all of Saskatchewan and helps First Nations women in various areas such as education, can be contacted at (306) 983-1228 or by e-mail at sawcc@hotmail.com
© 2008 Nipawin Journal
http://www.nipawinjournal.com/News/415167.html
Thursday, August 21
Saturday, August 16
Search for the missing -- and for answers
Addressing the tragic issue of missing women entails a frank discussion about respect of individual rights and prevention of violence -- then turning words into action.
The Leader-Post
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The conference on missing women being held in Regina this weekend is more than a symptom of something wrong; it is a sign of something right: citizens banding together to educate themselves about this grim issue and try to do something about it.
The problem of social violence that makes members of our community into missing people is a complex one and one riddled with misconceptions -- the most harmful being that some women, in particular, court trouble by putting themselves in a dangerous situation, whatever than means. This is a classic example of "blaming the victim" rather than blaming the guilty -- that is, the perpetrator.
Regardless of their station in life, their race or their economic background, everybody has the right to a safe life.
And when those persons are reported missing, they also deserve a full and conscientious search.
That brings us to the second myth: that police are uninterested in missing persons cases. That is not so, as is dramatically illustrated by recent arrests in the cases of two missing Saskatchewan women, one from Fort Qu'Appelle and one from Saskatoon. Along with the recovery of human remains, these arrests bring a sad kind of closure to the families of the missing women.
One of the benefits of talking about this issue is that critics of the police are realizing how complex and time-consuming missing persons cases often are, how the list of suspects refuses to conform to stereotypes -- and how short of resources most police forces have been. When police investigators have the time and resources to focus intently on cases, the missing are generally found.
Also, despite what we see on TV, real-life police agencies are not crewed by psychics or miracle workers; real investigators need information from people who know something about disappearance. If marches and educational seminars raise our collective awareness of the missing persons issue in such as a way as to cause witnesses to give usable information to investigators, then they will have done important work.
Violence and missing persons ultimately stem from power imbalances: some people have physical power and want to bend other individuals to their will. The fact that reported violence stubbornly refuses to abate in our society illustrates how intractable a problem this is. It is as if every generation of Canadian women and men must be instructed anew on insisting upon their rights -- and on respecting those of others.
Talk alone isn't the answer to the problem of violence and missing persons in Canada and elsewhere. But talk that educates and raises consciousness is a necessary step toward solving, or at least reducing, it.
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008
Saskatchewan missing persons
http://www.sacp.ca/missing/index.php
The Leader-Post
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The conference on missing women being held in Regina this weekend is more than a symptom of something wrong; it is a sign of something right: citizens banding together to educate themselves about this grim issue and try to do something about it.
The problem of social violence that makes members of our community into missing people is a complex one and one riddled with misconceptions -- the most harmful being that some women, in particular, court trouble by putting themselves in a dangerous situation, whatever than means. This is a classic example of "blaming the victim" rather than blaming the guilty -- that is, the perpetrator.
Regardless of their station in life, their race or their economic background, everybody has the right to a safe life.
And when those persons are reported missing, they also deserve a full and conscientious search.
That brings us to the second myth: that police are uninterested in missing persons cases. That is not so, as is dramatically illustrated by recent arrests in the cases of two missing Saskatchewan women, one from Fort Qu'Appelle and one from Saskatoon. Along with the recovery of human remains, these arrests bring a sad kind of closure to the families of the missing women.
One of the benefits of talking about this issue is that critics of the police are realizing how complex and time-consuming missing persons cases often are, how the list of suspects refuses to conform to stereotypes -- and how short of resources most police forces have been. When police investigators have the time and resources to focus intently on cases, the missing are generally found.
Also, despite what we see on TV, real-life police agencies are not crewed by psychics or miracle workers; real investigators need information from people who know something about disappearance. If marches and educational seminars raise our collective awareness of the missing persons issue in such as a way as to cause witnesses to give usable information to investigators, then they will have done important work.
Violence and missing persons ultimately stem from power imbalances: some people have physical power and want to bend other individuals to their will. The fact that reported violence stubbornly refuses to abate in our society illustrates how intractable a problem this is. It is as if every generation of Canadian women and men must be instructed anew on insisting upon their rights -- and on respecting those of others.
Talk alone isn't the answer to the problem of violence and missing persons in Canada and elsewhere. But talk that educates and raises consciousness is a necessary step toward solving, or at least reducing, it.
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008
Saskatchewan missing persons
http://www.sacp.ca/missing/index.php
Hoping to make a difference
Heather Polischuk
Leader-Post
Friday, August 15, 2008
CREDIT: Bryan Schlosser, Leader-Post
Participants in the Missing Women Conference gathered for the unveiling of a Bison Sentinel Memorial outside the First Nations University of Canada on Thursday.
Although Maria Campbell with Grandmothers for Justice has frequently stood up against injustice affecting aboriginal people in general, she admits she feels virtually powerless to combat a problem that is just as close to her heart: Violence against women.
"What happens I think is when we talk about that, I end up back in the middle of that violence and when I'm in the middle of that violence, I'm really vulnerable and I can't do anything," she said.
Campbell -- whose family and extended family includes six missing women, and who herself was a victim of violence -- addressed a group of people gathered at the First Nations University of Canada on Thursday, the opening day of the Missing Women Conference. Between now and Sunday, the conference will bring together family members of missing and murdered women from both Canada and Mexico, focusing in particular on indigenous women from the two countries.
"I think when we, together as two countries say, 'No more,' it's a much stronger stance, and I can see the people from Canada just being buoyed together by the people from Mexico and how in understanding that we share this, there can be a new strength and that's exciting," said conference co-chair Carla Blakley.
But she stressed this conference is not intended to be simply another opportunity for those concerned about violence against women to get together and discuss the problem that has led to hundreds of indigenous women in Canada going missing or being murdered.
"If it's just about talk about this issue, we have failed ...," Blakley said. "The goal is action. The goal is to make a difference, and that we don't just talk about this and theorize about why or what, but when we go back to our corners of the world on Monday, the world will look different."
One way to achieve that is through workshops that will be held on Sunday, at which time various groups -- including police, faith communities, activists, scholars and family members, among others -- will be asked to come up with some ideas on how to start making a change and confronting the racism and sexism Blakley said is at the root of these tragedies.
"We have to start bringing awareness about racism, and then how racism is intersected with sexism," she said. "When the two intersect, that's when we have brown-skinned women -- the bottom of the link -- things can happen to them and people don't really care, and they can blame them for it happening. And it is not acceptable in any vision of the world for that to happen."
Although Campbell admits it's hard for her and others to talk about, she said it's important that women begin to bring their victimization into the open in order to change things for future generations.
"I have no answers; I wish I did," she said. "I just know that we need to talk about misogyny because this was not a part of our way as aboriginal people and it was not a part of the way of white people ... If we don't talk about it, then we can't change it, we can't do anything about it. And we need to stop blaming each other as men and women and find a way to be able to get past that for our children."
More at LEADERPOST.COM
Hear Maria Campbell talk more about issues facing women at leaderpost.com.
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008
Arvide keeps fight alive
Kerry Benjoe
Leader-Post
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Isobel Arvide, a journalist from Mexico City, urged those attending the Missing Indigenous Women conference on Friday to take action now before it's too late.
"You have to know who is killing these women and why they are being killed and why the people who kill them are not caught," said Arvide.
She said people have to open their eyes and stop turning their backs and thinking it's not their problem.
Arvide delivered a compelling message to the audience and urged all those to speak up and take a stand as she shared her personal story of activism.
Her journey for justice began 14 years ago when a close friend went missing in Juarez, Mexico, where hundreds of women have gone missing or disappeared according to Amnesty International.
She travelled to that city in hopes of finding her. What she discovered was that the situation was much larger than just one missing women.
Arvide, as a woman and a journalist, felt compelled to act and penned many articles that exposed the drug traffickers, corruption and violence.
In 2001 she wrote an article alleging links between state officials and organized crime. In 2006 she was sentenced to one year in jail and fined 200,000 pesos ($19,000 U.S.). The judge suspended the jail sentence and ruled that damage could be covered by the bail she had originally posted.
"Everything is so secure. You have a lot of security in these streets. You can walk the street. If you don't stop this (violence) everything is going to go down," said Arvide.
Although she can no longer be an investigative journalist and has five federal police officers assigned to her as personal body guards -- she has no regrets.
"I can look at mirror every morning and say, 'I am in peace with you.' I have to live with what I know how to do," said Arvide.
She has found ways to keep speaking up about the crime in the hopes of inspiring others into taking action.
Arvide has kept writing, authoring nine books, writing a column, participating in a radio program, and producing a television show. She pledges not give up her fight for justice. Although she lives with daily death threats, she said she will not leave Mexico.
"I believe you have to change things for the better," said Arvide.
She said it's important to shed light on the issue on violence against women and commends the conference organizers for creating a space for such dialogue.
"You have to tell society that things are happening. It's the only way to prevent them from happening again," said Arvide.
She said the issue of missing and murdered women is society's problem and has nothing to do with gender. Arvide advises Canadians to protect all that they have by taking a strong stance on crime.
"If they can do it without punishment they will do it again and again and again," said Arvide.
"You have to have zero tolerance of all crimes. That's the only way."
She said things have gotten worse in Juarez because those perpetrating the crimes are not being punished.
"In my country it started with the women," said Arvide.
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008
Leader-Post
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Isobel Arvide, a journalist from Mexico City, urged those attending the Missing Indigenous Women conference on Friday to take action now before it's too late.
"You have to know who is killing these women and why they are being killed and why the people who kill them are not caught," said Arvide.
She said people have to open their eyes and stop turning their backs and thinking it's not their problem.
Arvide delivered a compelling message to the audience and urged all those to speak up and take a stand as she shared her personal story of activism.
Her journey for justice began 14 years ago when a close friend went missing in Juarez, Mexico, where hundreds of women have gone missing or disappeared according to Amnesty International.
She travelled to that city in hopes of finding her. What she discovered was that the situation was much larger than just one missing women.
Arvide, as a woman and a journalist, felt compelled to act and penned many articles that exposed the drug traffickers, corruption and violence.
In 2001 she wrote an article alleging links between state officials and organized crime. In 2006 she was sentenced to one year in jail and fined 200,000 pesos ($19,000 U.S.). The judge suspended the jail sentence and ruled that damage could be covered by the bail she had originally posted.
"Everything is so secure. You have a lot of security in these streets. You can walk the street. If you don't stop this (violence) everything is going to go down," said Arvide.
Although she can no longer be an investigative journalist and has five federal police officers assigned to her as personal body guards -- she has no regrets.
"I can look at mirror every morning and say, 'I am in peace with you.' I have to live with what I know how to do," said Arvide.
She has found ways to keep speaking up about the crime in the hopes of inspiring others into taking action.
Arvide has kept writing, authoring nine books, writing a column, participating in a radio program, and producing a television show. She pledges not give up her fight for justice. Although she lives with daily death threats, she said she will not leave Mexico.
"I believe you have to change things for the better," said Arvide.
She said it's important to shed light on the issue on violence against women and commends the conference organizers for creating a space for such dialogue.
"You have to tell society that things are happening. It's the only way to prevent them from happening again," said Arvide.
She said the issue of missing and murdered women is society's problem and has nothing to do with gender. Arvide advises Canadians to protect all that they have by taking a strong stance on crime.
"If they can do it without punishment they will do it again and again and again," said Arvide.
"You have to have zero tolerance of all crimes. That's the only way."
She said things have gotten worse in Juarez because those perpetrating the crimes are not being punished.
"In my country it started with the women," said Arvide.
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008
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