LINK / PDF (Quotes below)
Summary:
Police-recorded incidents of Aboriginal female homicides and unresolved missing Aboriginal females in this review total 1,181 – 164 missing and 1,017 homicide victims.
There are 225 unsolved cases of either missing or murdered Aboriginal females: 105 missing for more than 30 days as of November 4, 2013, whose cause of disappearance was categorized at the time as "unknown" or "foul play suspected" and 120 unsolved homicides between 1980 and 2012.
The total indicates that Aboriginal women are over-represented among Canada's murdered and missing women.
There are similarities across all female homicides. Most homicides were committed by men and most of the perpetrators knew their victims — whether as an acquaintance or a spouse.
The majority of all female homicides are solved (close to 90%) and there is little difference in solve rates between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal victims.
Information sourcing:
"What this project did differently was to supplement publicly available data with a comprehensive extract of information from law enforcement holdings from across all police jurisdictions in Canada. This fills a significant gap."
"The RCMP has almost completed cross-referencing the data it collected from police records with NWAC and Dr. Pearce's research. Reconciliation to date has been valuable in establishing these findings and improving police record data quality."
"The total of missing Aboriginal females was based primarily on a report of all women listed as missing for more than 30 days across all police jurisdictions on the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) system as of November 4, 2013."
Violence against Aboriginal women:
"They are at a higher risk of being victims of violence than non-Aboriginal females ...
The rate of victimization among Aboriginal females was close to three times higher than that of non-Aboriginal females."
"... there were 164 missing Aboriginal females as of November 4, 2013. They make up approximately 11.3% of the total number of missing females (1,455 total)."
[4.3% of female population = 11.3% of missing females]
Police estimates for the missing women:
Uknown = 61 / Foul Play = 44 / Accident = 45 / Lost or wandered off = 12 / Runaway = 2
Between 1980 - 2012:
"There were 1,017 Aboriginal female victims of homicide during this period, which represents roughly 16% of all female homicides — far greater than their representation in Canada's female population as described above."
Stats:
"The number of Aboriginal female victims of homicide has remained relatively constant while the number of non-Aboriginal female victims has been declining."
"Aboriginal women accounted for 8% of female victims in 1984 as compared to 23% in 2012." (They attribute this to the decrease of non-aboriginal female homicides)
"The Aboriginal female homicide rate per 100,000 population dropped from 7.60 to 4.45 between 1996 and 2011."
Cause of Death:
Beating: Aboriginal women, approximately one-third 32% / Non-Aboriginal: 17%
Stabbing: Aboriginal 31%, / Non-Aboriginal: 27%
Shooting: Aboriginal 16% /Non-Aboriginal 26%
Strangled/Suffocated/Drowned: Aboriginal 13% / Non-Aboriginal: 22%
[They say further research needs to be done to understand differences]
Location of killing is relatively the same except non-Aboriginal women are more likely to be killed at home, while Aboriginal women are twice as likely to be killed in an 'open area'.
Related Criminality:
"Other assault" and "sexual assault" offences more likely to occur in Aboriginal murders.
Interestingly:
"It should be noted that only a small proportion of Aboriginal female homicides (approximately 2%) were described by investigators as linked to the drug trade or gang or organized crime activity."
Offenders:
Relationship stats are generally the same, except non-Aboriginal women are more likely to be killed by a spouse, and Aboriginal women are more likely to be killed by an acquaintance.
89% of the women's killers (all groups) were male, no surprise there.
Offenders killing Aboriginal women more likely to have a criminal record, less likely to be employed and more likely to be on social assistance or disability. They were also more likely to have consumed some intoxicant substance.
They are less likely to have a mental disorder (10%) compared to NAF offenders (20%).
"The most frequent motive in Aboriginal female homicides was "argument or quarrel" representing 40% of all incidents (compared to 23% for non-Aboriginal females)."
"The data collected indicates that police solve almost 9 of every 10 female homicides, regardless of victim origin (88% for Aboriginal female homicides, 89% for non-Aboriginal female homicides). Other factors, such as victim involvement in certain occupations, may reduce the chance their murder will be solved."
Risk Factors
Aboriginal women are less likely to be employed, more likely to be on a form of assistance, and more likely to support themselves through 'illegal means' (by 10%).
Aboriginal women are more likely to have consumed an intoxicating substance before death (63% to 20% for NAF).
Sex trade:
"Aboriginal female homicide victims involved was slightly higher than that of non-Aboriginal female homicide victims — 12% versus 5% respectively — which are both relatively small components of the available population.
As a result, it would be inappropriate to suggest any significant difference in the prevalence of sex trade workers among Aboriginal female homicide victims as compared to non-Aboriginal female homicide victims."
How disappointing for all the rednecks who claimed the vast majority of these women were hookers and therefore 'did it to themselves'!
Aboriginal women being slightly double NAF in the sex trade is worth noting, but hardly significant in terms of overall missing and murdered indigenous women. (There's also no indication of the general number of NAF in prostitution). Even if we account for offenders being Johns, what of the others?
Then we come to the RCMP "efforts" to be implemented, to summarize:
- Partnering with local and municipal forces for unresolved cases
- "Prevention efforts" aka targeting high-risk communities
- "Increasing public awareness"
Here's my favorite bit for 'Strengthening the Data':
"To continue to ensure there is solid data available for operational decision-making and to ensure RCMP members record the most relevant information possible for Statistics Canada, the RCMP will roll out changes to how it collects data on homicides and missing persons. As a result of this project, the RCMP will ensure that Aboriginal origin is captured as part of Homicide Surveys."
You mean it hasn't been up to this time?
Another gold bit:
"Second, the use of the term "Aboriginal" as a descriptor has different definitions in the different data sources that make up this research project. For example, CPIC captures Aboriginal as an "ethnicity" whereas Statistics Canada's official position is that "Aboriginal" is not an ethnicity but rather an origin. Where possible, the above report attempts to use Statistics Canada compliant language."
And that's it. That is the end of the "overview". Here is what I take away from this:
1) I basically learned nothing and the five minutes I spent reading a quick Statistics Canada page (for the last post on this topic) was just as enlightening in much less time.
2) We still don't know why Aboriginal women are being killed at a higher rate, there is no real attempt to pinpoint a cause. With such a small percentage in the sex trade, what about the others?
3) I am left with the same conclusion as my last post: are the "acquaintances" Aboriginal or not? That will explain the discrepancy.
4) The only thing you can really gather from this overview is that a bunch of drunk unemployed losers on welfare and disability are getting pissed off, getting into "arguments" with Aboriginal women and then beating them to death.
Really? That's it? A bunch of pathetic slobs getting drunk and killing Native women?
Here is what cakers have said: it's their own family members killing them (not true). That turned into: it's their own boyfriends and husbands (turns out less than NAF's). Then: they were all prostitutes (again not true).
How can they be 4 percent of the female population yet over 10% of the missing women? How can they be four percent of the population yet account for 10-16% of the murders (up to 23%)? Especially when they are less likely to be killed by a spouse or family member than NAF? Why are they most likely to be killed in Yukon or Saskatchewan (with a white majority population)?
Does it all boil down to some loser leeches who feel big by treading on their "inferiors"? Who are these fat grease-stained slobs anyway? Aboriginal? White? Other?
I really don't feel that I've come away with any answers from this. I did get to read some stats and look at some fancy charts though.
Post Script - Why won't the RCMP answer The Toronto Star's questions?
RCMP won't comment on discrepancies in the Missing Database (Globe & Mail)
