聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 I鈥檓 a firm believer in fixing things at home before you try to fix things elsewhere. People disagree with me and that鈥檚 fine, we all have our own opinions. But I don鈥檛 know if we have the right to go into another country and tell them what they鈥檙e doing wrong before we have a better handle on the issues that face our own country.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Yes, this seems harsh and if people choose to travel elsewhere to help people that鈥檚 fine, that鈥檚 what they feel they have to do, and they should follow what their hearts are telling them. However, in my heart and mind, I see issues of homelessness, poverty, and violence right in our own backyard which I feel should be addressed.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The Highway of Tears is a 724 km length of highway northern Alberta to British Columbia. Between 1989 and 2006, a total of nine women were found murdered, while numerous others went missing just in that small area.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Recently I was looking through the CBC webpage and discovered a section titled 鈥淢issing & Murdered: Unsolved Cases of Indigenous Women & Girls.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 They have compiled a total of 230 unsolved cases involving First Nations women who have either gone missing or have been found murdered across Canada.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In Canada, we always think about how good we鈥檝e got it. We live in a good, safe country, but after finding the stories of these 230 women on CBC, I question this feeling.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The women鈥檚 stories would have shown up in the news for a short time before being forgotten about, which is why I think it鈥檚 good that CBC has compiled a database to remember these women and to attempt to help bring closure by asking people to come forward with any information anyone may have.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Turns out the United Nations agrees that something should be done according to a Canadian Press article posted March 10, 2015. It is being seen around the world as something that needs to be investigated and dealt with. Why are First Nations women being targeted for violence in a country that preaches peace?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The U.N. released a committee report on March 8 from the United Nations CEDAW Committee saying that Canada has failed to protect the rights of First Nations women across the country.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The report stated 鈥淎boriginal women and girls are more likely to be victims of violence than men or non-aboriginal women and they are more likely to die as a result.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淵et, despite the seriousness of the situation, the Canadian state has not sufficiently implemented measures to ensure that cases of missing and murdered aboriginal women are effectively investigated and prosecuted.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Despite this, the Canadian government continues to disagree that there is a problem, formally responding to the U.N. committee鈥檚 report by stating that there has not been a violation of First Nations women鈥檚 rights and declining any inquiries into the subject.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 So, why is the country deciding this is a non-issue? In this same article, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde stated, 鈥淭he loss of almost 1,200 indigenous women and girls is not an indigenous issue, it鈥檚 a Canadian issue.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Is it that people in Canada live in that bubble of 鈥渘othing bad happens here,鈥� are they simply unaware of the issue, or have we as a country decided to ignore this problem?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I truly hope it鈥檚 the second statement because then people can 聽become educated and hopefully help our country find a way to make it right, because I don鈥檛 feel ignoring this subject will do anyone any good.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 By addressing it, maybe we can find a way to make other First Nations women safer and start fixing what we鈥檝e allowed to develop in this country regarding the marginalization of First Nations girls and women.
