E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSThe Royal Canadian Mounted Police are failing to protect aboriginal women in northern regions from violence, according to a report from an international human rights group that also alleged abusive behavior by police officers themselves.
Human Rights Watch on Wednesday urged the Canadian government to probe dozens of murders and disappearances of females along a northern strip of highway in the Pacific province of British Columbia known as the "Highway of Tears."
"The threat of domestic and random violence on one side, and mistreatment by RCMP officers on the other, leaves indigenous women in a constant state of insecurity," said Meghan Rhoad, a researcher at Human Rights Watch.
"Where can they turn for help when the police are known to be unresponsive and, in some cases, abusive?"
Human Rights Watch said it sent researchers to the area between Prince George and Prince Rupert, British Columbia, last July and August and interviewed 50 indigenous women and girls, while also talking with affected families and native leaders.
The group said it was told of excessive use of force, strip searches of women by male officers, as well as physical and sexual abuse.
"One woman said that in July, four police officers took her to a remote location, raped her, and threatened to kill her if she told anyone," the report stated.
Police in British Columbia noted that no one linked to the report had officially filed a complaint.
"It is impossible to deal with such public and serious complaints when we have no method to determine who the victims or the accused are," the force said in a statement.
Last year an official inquiry found that police in British Columbia made critical errors in pursuing serial killer Robert Pickton, partly because of "systemic bias" against his victims, who were sex trade workers, several of whom were aboriginal women. Pickton was convicted of six murders, but prosecutors believe he killed many more women.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said an official commission for complaints against the RCMP, the national police force, would look into the Human Rights Watch report.
"The responsibility of every member in this House is not simply to throw around allegations," he told Parliament, urging those with information to talk to the relevant authorities.
Aboriginal leaders called on the government to implement the recommendations in the report.
"The stories shared in this report are heart-wrenching and absolutely appalling, particularly given this is only a small sample of the conditions and experiences of indigenous women, girls and families across our territories," said Shawn Atleo, chief of the Assembly of First Nations, a national umbrella group for aboriginal organizations.
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
Leave a Comment:
I've visited a reservation in Canada. On the surface it seems normal, but the group that I visited lived on a small, swampy island and were forbidden from purchasing land outside of their reserve.
Most people in the local villages called them 'dirty squaws'.
One day, a bunch of fishermen came with shotguns to the bridge and were 'going to punish the whole reserve for fishing on their turfs'. We were barricaded inside the band office because we didn't want to be 'mistaken' for a native and shot by other white people. The whole thing was damned twisted. Then it never made it to the news because the sheriff wanted it kept quiet.
When these girls say they've been abused, I'm not surprised. They wouldn't want to complain to the law if the law was responsible for their abuse. Canada is almost as bad as the states when it comes to 'injuns'
Well little boy I grew up in a state with multiple reservations, my fiance who is native works for a tribe in Washington state and I know there are abuses and things that do happen. I also know that most of the abuse happens on the reservations, native on native. The slang for domestic abuse is "reservation loving" To make wild accusations and not have the guts to stand up for me makes them no different than the "alleged" abusers. And as for you little boy when you say, "Canada is almost as bad as the states" you are just one more sissy liberal that doesn't know what you are talking about.
With statements such as yours, including this one, it appears as if you haven't grown up at all ... the anger in your diatribes is offensive and childish at best. As far as I can see, you have contributed nothing to this discussion.
Police are creamy goodness and everyone knows they would never lie.
Corruption, abuse and hiding those facts isn't found alone in the U.S. Obviously trying to get to the root of the problem is going to run into the same problems in Canada as in other places in the world. In order to change the system, one needs to flush it out with clean water(those with principals), not trying to do it with filthy water from the same source. Unfortunately, from the lowest to practically the highest, it takes getting rid of those who allow the abuse to continue. That isn't going to happen, when folks in power intend to hold onto such power and stonewall progress with their connections.
Is it any wonder native people are in fear of their lives? When they know of the deaths, and horrible abuses. Not just from law enforcement, but common white men, who then threaten natives with death itself, aimed at keeping them silent. The real changes will happen, when a much larger segment of Canadians themselves shift their focus, take a stand against injustices and decide to step up and protect the natives, taking pride in respecting all races, preserving the heritage of their country, and decide no one has the right to abuse anyone, nor the power entrusted to carry out justice, preserve the peace.Reporting those who do so and standing firm until justice is done.
Just pointing out. Natives are just as likely to be racist and violent against whites. It's not a one way street. As one of few white boys growing up on a reservation I can tell you racism is color blind.
To much power has been given to late now
"it's not a one way street"
That's exactly the kind of argument that keeps people complacent about racism. Native peoples aren't just a minority--they're an iota. People want to forget that they exist so they can say that America and Canada were made by white people. Then they can justify keeping out the mexicans--or the 'pakis'. What they always want to forget is that they were immigrants too and they started their nation by driving the natives out of their own land and then building skyscrapers on it.
Natives do feel a lot of resentment toward white people. They've got a lot of reason to. But the fact that they feel that way does not suggest that we should just leave them at the mercy of rednecks.
and you are nothing more than one more whiny little sissy. Your perscription for all minorities is to just keep blaming it on others instead of putting your big boy pants on and getting on with life. The reservation system has been a disaster, it has made the tribes children of the govt. I am engaged to a native, and natives are some of the most racist people I have ever seen second only to perhaps hispanics. Think I am wrong look at Mexico, they are all very white except for Benito Juaraz. It is the same in all of them light skin families control things. Spent a lot of time down there Peace Corp, business for the last 35 years. See unlike you, I don't just grab whatever liberal idea trashes the govt and believe it. When you say that natives have a lot of resentment with reason you are just one more useless parasite that contributes nothing and a apoligist for it all. You are wasting oxygen
windancersong: You are right- we don't need to wonder why natives are in fear of their lives-when 3 women were raped and threatened with death if they reported it. Many probably have reported abuse and just stopped reporting such abuse because of retaliation or *lack of evidence.* Native Americans are THE most abused, used and discarded human beings in the US.
DM57, you are engaged to a native and claim that natives are some of the most racist people you have ever seen? So what is your motive to marry someone who is part of the most racist group you have ever seen? Oh, I see, you love her, and she is not *like them.* Your statement says a lot about your lack of respect for natives, yet you are engaged to *one of them.* Happy future family reunions to you with "those racist natives." I doubt your fiance really knows you because if she did she would not be engaged to you, Mister Superiority.
Having lived in Canada for over forty years of my life I can honestly saw I never ONCE saw one with a job. But I saw plenty of them staggering down the street drunk from booze bought with the welfare check that they started collecting when they started having kids at 14, and will collect for their entire lives, just like their kids and grand kids, and great grand kids will. They spit out a kid a year to keep those welfare checks rolling in, most of whom will end up in foster care at some point. If they spent as much time taking advantage of the free college education that the Canadian tax payers provide to natives as they do getting drunk and playing bingo they'd rule the country. Expecting hard working tax payers to have respect for a culture that has been nothing but dead weight for generations is silly, respect is earned not handed out with a welfare check.
I shake my head and wonder, then realize there is nothing I can write that hasn't been written before. God does not see race, color, cread, nationality, but He does see pain and suffering of all His people here on earth! And He WILL remember those who were mistreated, and those who CAUSED the mistreatment. One day we will ALL be made accountable. Love they neighboor as we would love ourselves !
lol Eskimo women are fugly.
Mr Dinkie...And I bet you are a real picture yourself.... feral...
GM shona!!!
WTH can you expect from someone who calls himself Mr. Binkie??? Your spelling is probably more accurate, anyway.
Evening Chefez..Deliberately mis spelt it as he is a feral and would not give him the respect of spelling it correctly..some people really..hope you have a great day over there....
GE Chef
You are absolutely correct regarding the individual you described. I doubt Binkie the brat has more than a grade school level education and seldom comes out of his mommy's basement!
I watched a shocking Documentary today about the Rape Epidemic in our Military, and very little is being done, it was on National Geographic, called the "silent war", Rape in all branches and nothing being done. This is what takes place when you keep putting boys with girls. No one wants to talk about it. It was shocking and the numbers were out of control.
Remember no matter how "reputable" the news source drama sells. I have taken part in a couple "Documentaries" and they bend every fact, twist every statistic, and then over dramatize every event. Is there rape in our military? Of course, but I caution you blindly believing what you see on tv. Go to the source. Talk to someone in the military see what conditions are really like.
Allislost, You say go to the source when it comes to documentaries? The documentary about native children in Alaska raped by priests is not twisted nor are the facts bent. It's in their words but I suppose you would call that over dramatizing by victims.
misleading headline. It reads as if a particular incident was being reported of sexual and/or physical abuse of a native American woman by a group of police. Turns out it is a story about a group claiming systemic neglect of Native American women's needs for legal redress for crimes.
Typical of the modern media, on the left, on the right, and in the middle. Sell a story with allusions to sex, or a sexual crime. Then relate an incident only somewhat related to the headline.
More often than not there is a fine line between the type of people that go into law enforcement and those that pursue criminal careers.
In reality there is no line. Police are the same exact people as everyone else. Some are good some are bad. Some may be good for years then one day decide he is going to do something stupid. It is not a corupt system issue it is a corrupt being issue. There is no screening in the world that will see what is truly in a persons heart. All we can do is punish those who would abuse the power and remember that just because the other cops are wearing the same uniform doesn't mean they are the same person as the bad cops.
Then why are they not so horny to get there own like they are to get general population , when they see someone being beat by there own why do they not arrest them see it everyday or when they see any abuse they should taser or shoot to defend the public then i would say there might be some good ones
What a nonsense story.
I don't believe there is much substance to the story. NBC is running it only because there is a women's rights issue in congress and they are ginning up support for the bill.
You don't know anything at all about the subject you are commenting about, Bill.
Yes, it is a "women's rights" issue... it is about a woman's right to not be raped or beaten against her will by someone stronger than she is, and about the right of a child to not be raped or beaten.
It is about the right of someone who has been raped or beaten to recourse within the justice system, regardless of their ethnic background or the color of their skin.
Can you get behind that? Or do you place yourself above those who do not share your ancestral DNA?
It's not just LAPD or NYPD. It's inherent with people with authority over others to be bullies, racist, bigoted and ruthless.
And they talk about the so-called abuse of women by the Taliban. The Whites have been murdering abusing the natives for CENTURIES. Very few talk about it. It's very HUSH! HUSH!
Sad story and unfortunate, but believable. GM, First Lady.
Aboriginal women should go back to Australia..
Congratulations, Warren! You have managed to post the most blatantly stupid comment I have ever encountered anywhere at any time. If you were attempting to be amusing, your failure was epic. If you actually think "aboriginal" folks in Canada originated in Australia, you are truly one of the dumbest clods wandering around God's green earth. Either way, you are an embarrassment to the species. Yeesh!
and how about THE CHURCH and it's hidden actives on the native populations? please pass the plate!
The men who did this are opportunists, and I doubt it was about race when this happened as much as its about control and power. If the perpetrators had an opportunity to abuse someone of ANY race, it would have happened. Predators vitimize prey they view as weak, like coyotes do. Doesnt matter if its a white rabbit or a black one or a brown one. We can blame the evil white man all we want for racism in this day and age, but lets face it, thats walking up to racism as well, pigeonholing an entire race for ills that happened a hundred years ago.
Absolutely appalling, but not surprising behavior from the Canadian police. Unfortunately, crimes committed by law enforcement are no longer shocking to me.