Canadian indigenous women victims of silent 'genocide': Inquiry

Ottawa, Jun 3 (AFP) After two and a half years of hearings, a Canadian inquiry Monday released its final report on the disappearance and death of hundreds, if not thousands of indigenous women, victims of endemic violence it controversially said amounted to "genocide." The 1,200-page report was unveiled with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and victims' families on hand at a ceremony at the Canadian Museum of History, against a backdrop of totems and aboriginal artifacts, framed by a view of parliament across the Ottawa River.

It is the culmination of years of lobbying by native leaders, activists and victims' families seeking to address disproportionate crime levels affecting indigenous women over the past three decades. According to official estimates, almost 1,200 indigenous women and girls went missing or were killed between 1980 and 2012, out of a community of 1.6 million people. But inquiry commissioners have suggested the true figure could be many times higher.

Entitled "Reclaiming Power and Place," their report concludes that through "state actions and inactions rooted in colonialism and colonial ideologies" indigenous women and girls have indeed faced a disproportionately high level of violence. The commissioners found that perpetrators of violence include indigenous and non-indigenous family members and partners, casual acquaintances, and serial killers.

Their report linked the deaths to endemic poverty, racism, sexism and other social ills traced back to failed attempts by early colonizers to force indigenous people to integrate. And it called for sweeping changes, detailed in 231 recommendations for improving the security, justice, health and culture of Canada's indigenous people.

"Despite their different circumstances and backgrounds, all of the missing and murdered are connected by economic, social and political marginalization, racism, and misogyny woven into the fabric of Canadian society," said chief commissioner Marion Buller. "The hard truth is that we live in a country whose laws and institutions perpetuate violations of fundamental rights, amounting to a genocide against indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people," she said -- using an acronym for two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual.

The commissioners held 24 hearings across Canada over the past two and a half years and heard from more than 2,000 witnesses, including family members of missing or murdered women, survivors of violence, experts and officials. (AFP) SCY SCY

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