Canadians need to Work Together to end Violence Against Women

CANADIANS NEED TO WORK TOGETHER

TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN 

OTTAWA (December 4, 2012):    On December 6, Canada will focus once again on violence against women.  The National Association of Friendship Centres  (NAFC)  would like to take this occasion to publicly support those communities across the country, and the efforts of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, who are calling on the Federal government to establish a public inquiry and a national framework of action to address the issue of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls in Canada.   Aboriginal women are 3.5 times more likely than non-Aboriginal women to be victims of violence. 

Since the 1980s, it has been estimated that thousands of aboriginal women have gone missing and have been murdered.   Roughly half of the official murders and disappearances have occurred since the year 2000.  At present, there are 583 documented cases.  Unofficial accounts are significantly higher.  Aboriginal women between the ages of 25 and 44 are five times more likely than all other Canadian women in the same age group to die as a result of violence.   

Violence against aboriginal women has been at crisis levels for years.   It affects the individual, their families and the health of thousands of communities across Canada.   All levels of government and law enforcement need to work with aboriginal and non aboriginal leaders to prevent further injustice and build healthier communities.  Existing barriers must be eliminated so communities can begin to  solve many of  these cases  and to prevent this shame from continuing.  Only then can  faith in the justice system be restored allowing for communities to come together towards healthier outcomes.    

Last year, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women began an inquiry into murdered and missing Aboriginal women in Canada.  “Canadians need to recognize that Aboriginal women play integral roles in communities across Canada.  As mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers and aunts, women who are victims of violence should not suffer in silence.  We have been hearing their cries for years.  In a country such as ours, leadership and commitment are two first steps that will help us heal,”  says Vera Pawis Tabobondung, President, NAFC. 

Friendship Centres throughout Canada have been working at the community level focusing attention on violence against women working with partners and other organizations to achieve the goal or reducing and eliminating violence that exists at unacceptable levels.   Aboriginal women (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) are more than eight times more likely to be killed by their intimate partner than non-Aboriginal women.

In 2013, the NAFC will lead a national Aboriginal awareness campaign to decrease domestic human trafficking among Aboriginal peoples.   The NAFC will establish a National Aboriginal Advisory Committee (NAAC) consisting of regional, youth and expert representation. The NAAC will devise and lead a community engagement plan to gather insight from a wide range of Aboriginal peoples across the country into the messaging and formats the national campaign materials should assume.   The project will  lead to an increase in knowledge sharing and awareness  around human trafficking and it will increase community capacity to combat human trafficking.  

To support the Native Women’s Association of Canada, we ask the public to visit their website to learn more about violence against Aboriginal women and to sign the petition calling for a national inquiry at   http://www.nwac.ca/programs/sisters-spirit.   

 

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For more information contact: 

Jeff Cyr, Executive Director

National Association of Friendship Centres 

Ottawa, Ontario

(613) 563-4844

jcyr@nafc.ca