Indigenous women report rates of violence 3.5 times higher than non-Indigenous women and girls, and incidence of death from violence occurs at rates five times higher (NIIMMIWG, 2018b). Violence against Indigenous women, girls, and the LGBTQ2S (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer, Two-Spirit) community has reached epidemic proportions in Canada today. Defining Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls, and the LGBTQ2S Community The number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls continues to climb. The implications of this are far-reaching in February 2016 activists for the Walk 4 Justice initiative listed the names of over 4000 women and girls who were missing or murdered 60 to 70 percent of them were Indigenous (Tasker, 2016). Dismissive attitudes towards this reality by colonial governments and settler populations have been magnified in the case of Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people. These events generated profound and lasting intergenerational trauma, extensive experiences of violence, and the loss of self-worth experienced among Indigenous youth today. The imposition of the Indian Act, the residential school system, and the Sixties Scoop contributed to the loss of identity and ways of knowing within Indigenous communities across Canada. During and after colonization, these roles were directly undermined and dismissed by colonial and patriarchal authorities. Indigenous women and Two-Spirit people on Turtle Island are sacred as they embody the roles of caregivers, creators, and knowledge keepers within their communities, both historically and in contemporary times. Roots of Violence Against Indigenous Women, Girls, LGBTQ, and Two-Spirit People For our readers, this means that this is a living text that will grow and change as new information comes to light, until the many truths and outcomes of the Inquiry are woven into a clear dialogue which we can then share with you. Commissioners believe this additional time will allow the Inquiry to more effectively meet the needs of the people it’s intended to serve. This extension is intended to provide time for the Inquiry to hold more institutional and expert hearings as well as hear from vulnerable populations such as sex workers and the homeless. In light of these challenges, in March of 2018, the commissioners asked the federal government to extend the Inquiry for another two years with an additional $50 million in funding. The Inquiry has been plagued by many setbacks and challenges, both existential and logistical, which have significantly affected the speed and accuracy with which the commissioners have been able to examine the many truths and experiences at the heart of the Inquiry’s mandate. 4 MMIWG Introduction Protest sign at a really for MMIWGĪt the time of writing this section of the etextbook, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (NIIMMIWG) is ongoing, and only the Interim Report has been published.
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