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Digging down the past conditions of Indigenous women in Nunavut, one can see how the overpowering sections of society made a criterion of treating or even considering a living being, human. This critical thinking exercise presents arguments about injustices faced by Indigenous women of Canada and emphasizes on the present conditions by stating various facts and figures. Some of the factors that will be covered in the essay will be based on humanism and humanist oppressions, female homicides, and information such as birth rate, fertility rate, life expectancy, median age, and death rate. The focus of the essay will be on Inuits who are considered as a group of Indigenous people based on similar cultures and locations by the government of Canada under Aboriginal identity 2016 (Affleck et al. 1814). As the Inuit are mostly in the territory of Nunavut, the essay will refer to various examples and incidents from Nunavut because it has the highest proportion of the Indigenous population as compared to the Canadian residents who live in the area. This topic was selected because when there are discussions about things involving a community or a region, there are various sections that are not recognized or touched. Violence and homicide are the major problems experienced by Indigenous women in Nunavut regardless of about two decades of enhanced advocacy, initiatives, and programs.
There have been a lot of prolonged unjust treatments on human beings based on various factors. Some of these factors included discriminations based on gender, race, color, class, age, and ability. Considering some of these aspects, it is evident that women belonging to an Indigenous community must have suffered a lot or are still suffering. Canada’s past, particularly Nunavut, makes it evident that the situation was horrible for the Indigenous people, mainly for women (Edgar par. 6). Living on reserves is not easy and there are a lot of things that women go through such as menstruation cycle and pregnancy which men do not. Following orthodox beliefs have also oppressed women and it needs to be highlighted and discouraged in order to bring change to oppression in society.
Women and girls have a high possibility of experiencing violence and being killed in Nunavut as compared to any other region in Canada. Although Nunavut comprises less than 1% of the entire population of women in Canada, the area witnesses the highest cases of homicide than all the other jurisdictions in the country. This makes a high proportion of femicide within the nation, that is, about 22 for every 100,000 females in the population (Greaves 23). Nunavut is followed far behind by the region of Yukon with a level of 5 while other districts and territories have a proportion of 2 and less. Every 2 days, a female is killed in Canada with the figure being higher among Indigenous people residing in remote or rural communities than the rest of the population. Moreover, there are instances of undiscovered homicide in the cases of girls and women who are reported as either missing or not yet traced. The process of prevention and eradication has been sluggish to evolve. The government is yet to implement the basic criterion necessary to stop violence and homicide against women or hold criminals accountable in a way that can depict extensive fight against such criminal activities.
Even though Indigenous women form about 5% of the female population in Canada, they are considerably overrepresented when it comes to either murdered or missing people. In 2006, Canadian statistics affirmed that about 25% of Indigenous women suffered some kind of family violence from the year 2000 (Affleck et al. 1813). It also asserted that Indigenous people experience high levels of non-family aggression and are threatened with hostility both in and around their homes to a higher degree as compared to their non-Aboriginal counterparts. Indigenous women in Nunavut reported encountering brutal and possibly life-threatening instances of domestic violence, for instance, being hit or chocked, the use of firearm or knife against them, or sexual assault. This is experienced by over 55% of Indigenous women and less than 37% of non-Aboriginal females.
Indigenous women in Nunavut have a significantly higher probability than their non-Aboriginal counterparts to experience physical injury, seek medical attention, or be absent from work attributable to assault. Although Indigenous people formed approximately 3% of the Canadian population from 1997 to 2004, they accounted for close to 20% of homicide cases where the Aboriginal characteristic of the victim was established (Affleck et al. 1814). In the past, the level of homicide among the Indigenous females was nearly seven times greater than the one of non-Aboriginal women. In line with existing research, Indigenous females from 25 to 44 years old who had Indian origin had a five times higher possibility than non-Indigenous women in a similar age group to die on account of violence.
Numerous interconnected aspects lead to escalating rates of domestic violence, oppression, and homicide experienced in Indigenous communities. Such factors encompass poor socioeconomic situations, high levels of alcoholism and substance abuse, systemic prejudice, and racial discrimination among Indigenous people. Other causes include previous traumatic experiences and inter-generational sequence of hostility emanating from home school policy and effects of colonial rule on traditional principles and cultures. Studies have also established specific socio-demographic attributes linked to increased extents of hostility against females. Such characteristics encompass low birth and fertility rates, decreased humanism, and high median age, which leads to the decreased life expectancy of Indigenous women (Affleck et al. 1814). The levels of violence and homicide among Indigenous women in Nunavut are high among youthful females. Moreover, psychological and emotional abuse and spousal violence rates are nearly 20 times more for females whose husbands express behaviors such as alcoholism, homelessness, drug abuse, high mobility levels, joblessness, and previous experiences of sexual abuse. Other causal aspects include living in overcrowded homes, a high number of children, and men who were raised in violent or single-parent families.
Indigenous women in Nunavut presently experience violence and homicide that stem from situations and occurrences of the colonial accounts of Canada and the influence of European male chauvinism on Indigenous communities. For example, poverty, unemployment, and poor housing conditions have continued to have a negative impact on Indigenous women in Canada. Such issues are often felt strongly in the Northern region, where rural, remote communities of Inuit individuals experience high levels of illnesses and have inadequate services for the welfare and safety of women and children (Greaves 27). The sequence of hostility, in conjunction with deprivation that numerous Indigenous women in Nunavut experience, is associated with an increased level of occurrences concerning the law, insufficiency of resources, and existence of a few alternatives as compared to the rest of the population.
Aboriginal women living in urban areas across Canada also struggle with increased rates of hostility in their communities and families. Some of the reasons that have led to significant disparities between Indigenous women and the rest of the Canadian population include their health conditions, lack of revenue, and low educational levels. Such issues are worsened by the loss of traditions and cultural values and inequitable access to power and economic resources (Edgar par. 4). Hostility against Indigenous women and girls in Nunavut has also been reinforced by historical, political, social, and economic conditions that have shaped their discernment of violence and homicide as common. The lack of proper governance measures against such issues limits the options of Indigenous women with regard to their protection and the well-being of their children.
Violence against Indigenous women and girls in Nunavut has received high consideration in recent times. This has been enhanced by the operations of the Native Women’s Association among other campaigns that have underscored the poor reaction to the problem by legal and social systems in Canada. In 2016, Nunavut experienced the highest level of women victims of law enforcement-reported instances of domestic violence in the country (Edgar par. 3). To assist tackle the issue of violence and homicide against women, the federal government set aside more than ten million dollars to improve the welfare of Indigenous women. This approach sought to make sure that police officers and the justice system would reinforce their reaction to instances of killed or missing women. The government has also begun the long-awaited investigation into the killings and disappearances of hundreds of Aboriginal women in Nunavut, as well as in other regions of the country, in the anticipation of minimizing or eliminating what is depicted as a continuing national tragedy. Moreover, the national investigation was commenced as a major stride on the course of rapprochement with the Aboriginal citizens of Canada. Apart from Nunavut, from one boundary of the country to the other, the increasing level of murdered and missing Aboriginal girls and women cannot be disregarded.
Currently, Nunavut has a women’s organization which is the first Aboriginal-specific group that advocates the rights of Inuit women in Nunavut. The Nunavut Inuit Women’s Association (NIWA) was recently created under the original group, the Native Women’s Association of Canada. The mandate of NIWA is to support Inuit women in leadership positions, tackle challenges such as impartiality, enhance financial empowerment, and develop programs to deal with intergenerational effects of colonialism (Edgar par. 5). Operations of NIWA and rising advocacy for the rights of Indigenous women create renewed hope for the empowerment of Aboriginal females in Nunavut.
Violence and homicide are the main setbacks experienced by Indigenous women in Nunavut despite about two decades of enhanced support, initiatives, and programs. There are rising unfair treatments on Aboriginal women in Nunavut anchored in different factors that encompass prejudices based on gender, race, color, class, age, and capability. Even though Aboriginal women form approximately 5% of the female population in Canada, they are noticeably overrepresented when it comes to either killed or missing individuals. In the past, the level of homicide among the Indigenous females was almost seven times more than the one of non-Aboriginal women. Hostility against Indigenous females in Nunavut has attracted high focus in recent times. Functions of NIWA and growing support for the rights of Indigenous women generate renewed anticipation for the empowerment of Aboriginal females in Nunavut.
Works Cited
Affleck, William, et al. “Suicide amongst the Inuit of Nunavut: An Exploration of Life Trajectories.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 17, no. 6, 2020, pp. 1812-1817.
Edgar, Courtney. “Nunavut Leads Canada in Femicide, Says Report.”NUNATSIAQ NEWS, 2019. Web.
Greaves, Lorraine, editor. Personal and Political: Stories from the Women’s Health Movement 1960-2010. Second Story Press, 2018.
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