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Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
DCHP-3 (Apr 2023)
Spelling variants:MMIWG, missing and murdered Aboriginal women, the missing and murdered women, missing or murdered women
1expression, n. — Indigenous, Gender, Police
the thousands of Indigenous women and girls who have disappeared and/or been murdered in Canada.
Type: 4. Culturally Significant — The expression missing and murdered women and girls refers to cases where police have been said to have been negligent in their investigations (see the 2004, 2018 and second 2023 quotations), either because of a bias against Indigenous women or women working in the sex trade or both.
The earlier form of the term was "missing and murdered Aboriginal women" (see the 2004 and 2014 quotations) but this changed in the late 2010s to "missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls" or, more succinctly, "MMIWG", as a result of the 2016-2019 National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (see meaning 2 below).
As seen in Chart 1, the term is almost exclusive to Canada.
The earlier form of the term was "missing and murdered Aboriginal women" (see the 2004 and 2014 quotations) but this changed in the late 2010s to "missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls" or, more succinctly, "MMIWG", as a result of the 2016-2019 National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (see meaning 2 below).
As seen in Chart 1, the term is almost exclusive to Canada.
Because Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is an ongoing problem, the term cannot be classified as a Memorial Term (Type 6).
Quotations
2001
The Mounties have joined forces with the Vancouver police department to review files related to the homicides and disappearances of 31 prostitutes in the city. RCMP Const. Danielle Efford said police will take a long and methodical look at the files of the missing and murdered women using the VICLAS computer system previously not available to the Vancouver police force. [...] Sex-trade workers in Vancouver's downtown eastside have feared a serial killer is responsible for the disappearance of several women since 1995. Vancouver police launched a poster campaign of the missing women in 1999 and have said many may have moved on.
2004
The report focuses on the stories of nine missing and murdered aboriginal women in Western Canada, which, it says, were chosen because they demonstrate the roles racial discrimination and sexism play in the response of police, other authorities and the media. Darlene Osborne, who has lost a granddaughter and cousin in the last three decades, made an impassioned plea for police officers and governments to get serious about combating violence and solving the cases of the missing and murdered women.
2006
She was one of the first in a series of missing and murdered women since 1990 who now collectively define the so-called Highway of Tears -- the span of roadway between Prince Rupert and Prince George.
2008
When Danielle Boudreau hits the streets on Valentine's Day, she hopes to be joined by hundreds of people. She is organizing the third annual memorial march for all the missing and murdered women in Edmonton.
2009
Walk 4 Justice is aimed to raise awareness about violence against women; particularly the growing number of missing and murdered women across Canada, most whom are from Aboriginal ancestry.
2010
By hosting the Olympics, we apparently are ignoring "the pressing issues of homelessness, gentrification, missing and murdered women, poverty, and criminalization in the DTES," according to the press release. Quite a grab bag.
2011
Over the last five years, 582 indigenous women have been identified as missing or murdered in Canada. For the last three years, the Memorial March for Missing and Murdered Women has sought to remember those who are lost.
2018
In 2015 the RCMP commissioner conceded publicly that there is racism in his force, which was seen as a key step to addressing the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
It is clear that the Thunder Bay Police Service has a problem with racism. The mayor and chief of police must acknowledge this. Immediately, and in public. This is the starting point if they are serious about creating change.
2023
Merrick also criticized the plan because she said it will give more money, and more control over data to Winnipeg Police.
"The WPS has already proven that the resources they were given for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) have been expended without any notable improvement on the issue," Merrick said. "And now they will receive more funds and control over information collection about MMIWG2S+ cases.
2n. — National Inquiry, Indigenous, Gender
a 2016-2019 National Inquiry into the disappearances and/or murders of thousands of Indigenous women and girls.
Type: 1. Origin — As a result of structural racism at various levels of government and policing forces, the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC), Maryanne Pearce, and the Globe and Mail announced that they were collaborating to create a database of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (see the 2015 quotation) in order to get a handle on the scope of the issue (see meaning 1 above) and provoke some action in political and police circles.
In 2016, Justin Trudeau's Liberal government instituted a national inquiry into the disappearances and murders of thousands of Indigenous women and girls. Three years later, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls published its report, "Reclaiming Power and Place", which found that settler-colonial violence "against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA has become embedded in everyday life...of Canadian society" to the extent that it "amounts to genocide" (see MMIWG Report 2019: 4).
In 2016, Justin Trudeau's Liberal government instituted a national inquiry into the disappearances and murders of thousands of Indigenous women and girls. Three years later, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls published its report, "Reclaiming Power and Place", which found that settler-colonial violence "against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA has become embedded in everyday life...of Canadian society" to the extent that it "amounts to genocide" (see MMIWG Report 2019: 4).
Quotations
2015
Dawn Lavell-Harvard, the president of the Native Women's Association of Canada, said she hopes a national inquiry -- which the new Liberal government has committed to launching by the summer -- will "shine a light on the reality" that indigenous women are being preyed upon by serial killers in urban centres. "The question is, why choose to ignore this particular question when we have been voicing concern about how our women are targeted, and we saw the high numbers of indigenous women taken by men like Robert Pickton?" she said. "Sometimes, what was ignored in the data is as important as what was found." [...] The Globe is compiling a database of homicide and long-term missing-person cases that involve indigenous women, building on data collected by NWAC and Ottawa-based researcher Maryanne Pearce.
2016
Much more needs to be done to confront the crime of sexual abuse of children in indigenous communities, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who anticipates the national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls will reveal "huge issues" that must be addressed.
"I think part of what that national inquiry is going to reveal is there are deep challenges that we have to address that go beyond just lack of adequate policing or enforcement or justice systems," Trudeau said during a year-end roundtable interview with The Canadian Press.
2017
Awareness of the devastating effects of colonialism in the wider populace has been growing, due in part to the Idle No More movement, which began in 2012, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on residential schools and the calls for action on the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, which eventually grew into a national inquiry.
2019
The MMIWG national inquiry recently reached a milestone on Dec. 12. The inquiry formally concluded its truth gathering process in Ottawa. including presentations made in Calgary in November, commissioners received recommendations from nearly 60 parties with official standing on a range of critical issues, from poverty and racism to gaps in supports and services and inadequate funding.
2021
Last summer, the HHU hired a federally-funded investigator to support the recommendations of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).
Zazulak said the position was filled by an RCMP member from another SCB unit and their initial task was to familiarize themselves with all of the MMIWG files and to form relationships with the Alberta RCMP's Indigenous policing services unit.
2023
This new role was created in response to the Commissioner's mandate letter commitment and directly responds to Call for Justice 5.23 of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). The Deputy Commissioner for Indigenous Corrections will ensure the implementation of the MMIWG Calls for Justice and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action within CSC's purview, as well as support the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
References
- RCMP • "Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women"
- MMIWG Report
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