La Strada Documentation Center

Stolen Sisters: Discrimination and Violence Against Indigenous Women in Canada

Document number
1882
Date
2004
Title
Stolen Sisters: Discrimination and Violence Against Indigenous Women in Canada
Author/publisher
Amnesty International
Availability
View/save PDF version of this document
Document type(s)
Research/Study/Analysis,
Keywords
Women's rights; Women; Violence against women,
Summary
This report examines the following factors which, too long neglected, have contributed to a heightened -- and unacceptable -- risk of violence against Indigenous women in Canadian cities: • The social and economic marginalisation of Indigenous women, along with a history of government policies that have torn apart Indigenous families and communities, have pushed a disproportionate number of Indigenous women into dangerous situations that include extreme poverty, homelessness and prostitution.
• Despite assurances to the contrary, police in Canada have often failed to provide Indigenous women with an adequate standard of protection.
• The resulting vulnerability of Indigenous women has been exploited by Indigenous and non-Indigenous men to carry out acts of extreme brutality against them.
• These acts of violence may be motivated by racism, or may be carried out in the expectation that societal indifference to the welfare and safety of Indigenous women will allow the perpetrators to escape justice.
Related documents