Gone With The Shadows: A look at Canada’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Children

Growing up, we were scared of the dark. We were scared of what lurked in the shadows-- the Boogeyman, monsters, creeps, and ghouls. As we grew older, this fear of the dark lessened, but it never fully left us. Fortunately, we can escape the inky blackness of the night with the simple flick of a light switch; and there, the darkness retreats. But what do you do when you constantly live in darkness, with a perpetual sense of fear so horrid and bleak that it cannot be dispelled by turning on the lights? This reality is the truth for so many Indigenous women and girls. Canada is a multicultural, societal oasis, and yet our Indigenous women manage to slip through the cracks, stolen away into the night, and gone with the shadows.

Source: Nonprofit Quarterly

In Canada, Indigenous people experience much discrimination and exclusion from society. This is not a new issue; it has existed since the birth of Canada, in the form of Residential Schools, the Sixties Scoop, and the Indian Act, just to name a few. Today, Indigenous women face alarmingly high amounts of violence, and many of these cases go unreported. To understand the causes of such staggering numbers of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, you first need to understand the history of Canada. Racism, poverty, misogyny, and colonialist attitudes are deeply rooted in Canadian society. Racism and misogyny result in society turning a blind eye to violence against Indigenous women, while colonialist attitudes and sentiments normalize the act of stripping children away from their families.

The statistics show that Indigenous women are 3.5 times more likely to experience violence and are 6 times more likely to be murdered compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts (Encyclopedia of Canada, Statistics Canada). The RCMP claims that there are more than 1,200 cases of missing Indigenous women, but Indigenous advocacy groups put this number at more than 4,000 cases. These statistics fail to account for the pain and heartbreak experienced by Indigenous families who have lost a daughter, mother or sister to murder or abduction. These losses also cause suffering in entire communities, especially when these cases are left unresolved or the murderer gets to walk free.

Source: Amnesty International

Though there has been a National Inquiry into the MMIWG cases, Indigenous leaders, activists, and community leaders still feel that the government and the police are not doing enough to bring clarity to the victims’ families. They say that the government lacks transparency and can not communicate effectively with Indigenous communities. Additionally, they believe that the police do not provide enough protection to Indigenous women and cannot effectively transpose and record statistics. To make up where law enforcement and the government fail, there have been many organizations that have stepped up to the plate. Drag the Red, Bear Clan Patrol, Midnight Medicine Walks, Amnesty International, and The Native Women’s Association of Canada have been on the frontlines responding to this crisis. Drag the Red is a group of volunteers that search the Red River with a boat and trawler, hoping to dig up clues about missing Indigenous women. The Bear Clan Patrol operates in Manitoba’s most dangerous neighbourhoods to provide security, and Midnight Medicine Walks provides support for sexual abuse victims by providing them with medicine and prayers. Amnesty International and The NWAC highlight and bring awareness to the issue of MMIWG.

Canada presents itself as a country where no racism exists and where everyone lives hand in hand with each other. This outlook on Canadian society is damaging to ethnic minorities, as it diminishes their struggles and marginalization, and it also creates an atmosphere for silence. If Canada is seen as a non-racist society, no one dares to question this fact, and hence, issues such as The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls go unreported and unsolved. The silence this causes is deafening. We must say their names: Amanda Jean Simpson, 4 years old; Alisha Germaine, 15 years old; Cheryl Black, 46 years old; and many, many others.

Inaction is complicity. Educate yourself, and amplify the voices of Indigenous persons. Instead of speaking over them, listen to them. Hold the police and government accountable for their actions, not only to foster reconciliation, but also to better the protection of Indigenous lives. Change starts with you.

By Annandi Diaram