Why Are Indigenous Women Disappearing Across Canada?

The First Nations women of Canada are disappearing and being murdered at an alarming rate. We explore the reasons behind this disturbing issue and what’s being done to stop it.

This episode of Woman was filmed in 2016.

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[Facetiously.Esoteric]

It's not just Canada. The same thing is happening in America to Native women.

[Wowowwubzzy]

As a Native American this is a very real and scary situation. In Az some rehab places were caught not helping natives in fact they were drugging them and leaving them anywhere and everywhere. Some people went to the rehab centers and were never seen again. Native Americans go thru so much. Just to fill the plan from long ago.”kill the savage, save the man”

[Ohnothetableits]

About a few years ago one of my old neighbors started dating a Native woman. They met on Tinder, and were just dating for about a couple months before she went missing. He would show her off announcing their relationship… Bragging she’s beautiful, and perfect, “he loved her”. Next thing you know the cops showed up to his house, arrested him, and charged him with her disappearance. Later on they found her body in a nearby woods. He was then charged with her murder. It was absolutely horrible. He got life, no chance of parole. A year down the road they found him dead in his cell. Well our family has since moved after the murder. That neighborhood wasn’t the same after that happened.

[Ag_]

This hits home for me, even though I'm not a First Nation in Canada myself, I'm a Siberian Indigenous and we look a lot alike. Also in Russia we have always been seen as less of a people because we are not blond, blue-eyed Slavs. Even now, during the war, they mobilize us more than in the European part of Russia. they actively try to destroy us. We are an inconvenience to them. I grew up with beatings and I saw other women around me being abused. My aunt was murdered by her partner in the belief that she was his property. I wish there was a lobby for indigenous people all over the world. But it's not getting better. Especially in Russia.

[FreeJulianAssange]

As a Canadian First Nations woman, the answer mostly lays on the reserves, if not killed by relative’s, killed trying to escape. The elders tell us to shut our mouths.

[aidantong]

Canadian here, not Native. Thank You for this documentary. These are the stories that make us better, stronger, kinder. Painful to see every time but one can only hope that people from all over the world sees this.

[dubplatenate]

I am from Nak'zdli, a community on the same lake. This message needs to be heard worldwide, please share this where ever possible. Canada has a dark history and our people are the ones who have to pay the price. Our lands stolen and we are persecuted for being the protector and rightful owners.

[kw]

The worst part is that she asked the women if most of the perpetrators for the physical and sexual assault are from their community (indigenous men), and they said YES! Why aren't these men who are causing violence in their home and communities being held accountable?! They literally sat in a circle at the end where men openly admitted to threatening to murder their wives, or physically hitting their partners and abusing them for years, which is a CRIME!!! And everyone just sat around being like "yup yup.." like it's a totally normal thing to do. WTF?! These men are admitting committing crimes, and are not being held accountable for them at all! Of course the men in the communities are continuing to harm women, because they have no incentive to stop. Men can sit there and admit on camera to abusing women and breaking the law, and nothing happens to them! So why should they stop? This is horrific, and I don't understand how this is accepted or allowed to continue like this?!!

[yankeedoodle]

I drove passed a reserve not long ago and was pretty shocked by how isolated, modest and basic the infrastructure was. It honestly felt surreal.

[aup]

As an ex-international student in BC, my heart goes with these women, and I hope they get the justice they deserve.

[Digitalgirl.mp]

Same thing is happening in reservations in the US as well. Especially in states like Arizona, New Mexico, etc. the police doesn’t care because they aren’t white women ( I said this without realizing about jurisdictions and tribal police, however the FBI can still kick in and help as well as non tribal police, also some reservations do not have a police force.). A 27 year old native american woman opened her own non profit based on her forensics degree so she can try to solve the disappearances and murders on her own. The name is Ohkomi Forensics. It’s really sad. I wish the indigenous community well 💕💕

[janekmundt]

I saw signs with a huge number on them in the Canadian native reservations. I didn’t get what they meant. The scale that this is happening in is insane. There are some really dangerous people out there due to the governments neglect…

[BePatient]

Most of this HAS to be domestic violence related, right? Poverty plus alcoholism epidemic, and you're NOT seriously looking at domestic violence? Every male relative and acquaintance of each victim should be hauled in and have their belongings searched for DNA evidence. I bet you'd solve a significant number of the missing women cases. EDIT:: Canada has to take this more seriously. How could you ignore 1600 missing women in 1 city? That is insane.

[christians]

As a man I’m embarrassed and ashamed. A real man protects and provides support to women. We are partners. Not foes. We need to raise our boys better than this and remind them everyday how much women mean to our existence. And to all the abusive men out there.. how would you like it for another man to lay a hand on your daughter, sister or mother? The world is a better place when we put ourselves in someone else’s shoes.

[katjaeye]

15:26 the fact that this guy never did jail time is insane…

[stamourbeaulieu]

As someone living in the north of Quebec, with all my heart I’m with you

[peacemyheart]

Once again, the most vulnerable people are always the ones suffering the most.

[Lucas-vdgx]

Canadians love to criticize the US in how the country treats the black population but look at how First Nations people are treated in Canada. Sad.

[OPortuguesBaseado]

I know this documentary was about the women, but, and I speak as a man here, I can't help but feel like like the issue lies deeply in the Indigenous men, and the consequences of those residential schools. Listening to those men speak at that gathering, I have a feeling I understood right away what was going on. They are frustrated, perhaps they inherited that frustration from their fathers, but I also think it's the isolation of where they live, and the struggle with their own identities, perhaps they feel useless, or unwanted, or powerless in today's Canadian society, and nothing hurts a man more than that. I believe indigenous women are the easy targets of that frustration, and because of the isolation, and perhaps even the actually discriminatory negligence of the government, they know they can get away with abusing them. It's sad, but I believe these men wouldn't have the courage to do these things to a non-indigenous woman, out of fear of the government showing up at their doorstep. Learning of this pains me for real. I think the solution lies in the older, stronger men, teaching the younger men better, that they aren't less than any other Canadian. But then again, if it was that simple, this wouldn't be happening... They need to feel useful and wanted, but only they can do that for themselves, it can't be given to them by anyone else. It's the kind of thing that you have to earn. Self-respect.
My thoughts are with all the victims and their families.

[valeriestern]

They are part of an extremely vulnerable population....and no one seems to breaks my heart!!!