Svjetlana mlinarevic

Svjetlana Mlinarevic

The Graphic

May 22, 2014

 

The issuance of the RCMP’s report on murdered and missing aboriginal women last week has brought to light how aboriginal women live in the Central Plains area and how the RCMP is viewed among First Nations communities.

 

The national overview found 1,181 aboriginal women were either missing or murdered between 1980 and 2012. The report stated that perpetrators of violence against these women were largely casual acquaintances followed by their intimate partners. The RCMP also found that the women in question were vulnerable due to their economic circumstances, substance abuse and/or connections to criminal activity.

 

Portage Friendship Centre family councilor Diane Lavallee said she is not surprised by the RCMP’s findings.

 

“I’m not surprised by the number of dead or missing women. Although society provides all these supports and avenues for help, there is still a big gap missing,” she said.

 

That gap is aboriginal women who are victims of violence are not being recognized, especially within aboriginal communities, as being in a violent environment.

 

“A lot of times, they’re coming from small communities or reserves to urban communities and it’s a culture shock. They’re afraid to speak out, afraid of what people may think, or losing their children because of domestic abuse. There are a lot of things incorporated into what is happening with these women,” she said.

 

Lavallee added that leadership on reserves needs to improve greatly as there is an overall lack of resources.

“There is a lack there from leaders in being able to provide supports for these women and their families in giving them a safe place and a place they can go to get the support and help they need. Being able to trust people in the communities is a huge issue too,” she said.

 

On average, Lavallee has more than 600 visits a year from women seeking assistance, some of whom are repeat clients, ranging in age from 18 to mid-30s. Most have children with the majority being single or in unstable relationships. Lavallee said she sees clients from Long Plain First Nation, Sandy Bay First Nation, and Dakota Tipi First Nation.

 

In only about five per cent of all domestic violence cases Lavallee sees the women are able to leave the relationship and strike out on their own.

 

Lavallee noted the RCMP is the last place these women go for help as they feel that there is no support from the police and that women view the RCMP as a threat.

 

“For those that have put their trust there and felt it would benefit them and their children, they feel like it’s been pushed back at them,” she said.

 

For RCMP chief superintendent Scott Kolody, who works in criminal operations for provincial and public affairs in Manitoba, Lavallee’s statement cuts to the quick.

 

“To hear that our First Nations communities have a mistrust to me is not what we want to have. We have to continually work with our partners and First Nations communities,” he said.

 

Although he admits that police are not always where they should be, Kolody said the RCMP will address the issue of trust among aboriginal communities by officers being more visible, getting to know stakeholders, and by being accessible.

 

“We can establish that firm foundation relationship, so that we can look at our priorities and look forward. That is fundamental in policing that we gain their trust,” he said.

 

While the RCMP works to win the trust of the communities in which they serve, their report gives little solace to families with missing or murdered women.

 

“Things have to change and I think one of the things that will make the change is a public inquiry. Until then, things will remain the same,” said Bernice Catcheway, whose daughter Jennifer went missing in 2008.

 

Catcheway’s sentiments were echoed by Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs special political liaison Dennis White Bird.

 

“We’ve stood by the families. We’ve helped them push for closure and that hasn’t happened. Putting more reports out is certainly not going to help,” he said. “We are pushing for a national inquiry …. Manitoba can do an inquiry on its own if the federal government is not willing to come to the table.”

 

For Angela Roulette, who started the Sisters in Spirit vigil in Portage la Prairie, the possibility of a national inquiry is impossible, as “they don’t want the truth to come out.”

 

“All the dirty laundry will be brought out and it would all be pointing at the system. There have been cases, and it’s been exposed in the news, where women were crying for help and (the RCMP) didn’t get there in time.”

 

As the issue regarding vulnerable aboriginal women continues to be top of mind for many, Lavallee wants the community to remember that these women are fragile.

 

“They’re coming from places where there isn’t a lot of support for them and not enough recognition of what is happening in the homes.”