LEAF is part of a national Legal Strategy Coalition on Violence Against Indigenous Women (LSC). The LSC is a nation-wide ad hoc coalition of groups and individuals formed in 2014 following the murder of Inuit university student Loretta Saunders, to marshall resources that address violence against Indigenous women. The LSC is engaged in legal advocacy and research to urgently address the critical issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW).
Two LSC legal research volunteers, Pippa Feinstein and Megan Pearce, have created two documents that we hope will be of assistance to MMIW advocates across the country. Given that the Canadian Department of Justice refers to a list of existing reports to suggest that a national inquiry on MMIW is not necessary, our researchers reviewed those reports with an eye to seeing whether any recommendations of previous inquiries have been implemented. Fifty reports containing over 700 recommendations were reviewed. A preliminary assessment shows that few of the recommendations have been implemented.
Their preliminary research shows that while there is a general consensus about the root causes violence against Indigenous women, there has been a failure to implement the necessary responses to address the crisis. While there have been inquiries that touch upon the issue of MMIW, there has not been a national inquiry focused on the issue. This research suggests that the focus for a national inquiry should examine the resistance to implementation of known and recommended measures to address the issue.
The two December 2014 LSC documents are available here:
- A spreadsheet of the reports to date “Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls: A Consolidated Literature Review.«
- A briefing note setting out the preliminary research findings from the review of the 50 reports.
We invite you to use these reports to advocate for the issue of MMIW to be addressed at the municipal, community, provincial and federal levels. We are grateful to Megan and Pippa for their excellent work on this important issue.
For more information, please contact:
Cheryl Maloney, President
Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association
Tel: (902) 805-0374
Email: [email protected]
Kim Stanton, Legal Director
Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund
Tel: (416) 595-7170
Email: [email protected]
For more information about LEAF, visit www.leaf.ca or contact us at [email protected] or 416-595-7170 or toll-free 1-888-824-5323.
