Robyn Bourgeois2013-05-26T00:34:03-04:00Robyn Bourgeoishttp://www.huffingtonpost.ca/author/index.php?author=robyn-bourgeoisCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Robyn BourgeoisGood old fashioned elbow grease.National Inquiry On Missing, Murdered Women Not Best Answertag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.23332622012-12-21T13:44:13-05:002013-02-20T05:12:02-05:00Robyn Bourgeoishttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/robyn-bourgeois/Calls for a national inquiry into the phenomenon of missing and murdered women accompanied Monday's release of the final report of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry. This echoes a similar call made recently by Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo for a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls in Canada.
After watching Monday's release of the commission's final report, I have been unable to get a question asked by Lori-Ann Ellis, the sister-in-law of Cara Ellis, out of my mind.
Having just learned from Commissioner Wally Oppal that many of her specific concerns were not addressed in the final report, Ellis asked: "Is there a better way to get the government to listen?"
For me, Ellis' question captures the critical problem with a national inquiry — we can hold one, but will anyone listen? While I absolutely understand the need for a national inquiry to ensure that the voices of those who have been excluded from previous inquiries are heard, this doesn't require that anyone actually listen or that the Canadian state will do anything to change things.
My extreme pessimism here arises from having spent the last few years examining the multitude of inquiries, commissions, and other state-based fact-finding missions addressing the issues of violence against women, in general, and violence against aboriginal women and girls in particular.
Women have had to ask the Canadian state again and again for basic protections of their human rights, including the right to live a life free from violence.
The state has spent an extraordinary amount of money to study, again and again, what they should do to address violence against women.
That despite an extraordinary amount of money spent, the extremely generous contributions of time, energy, and insight by women, service providers, experts, and political advocates, and an extensive list of recommendations on how to end violence against women, the state has done relatively little to address violence against women in this country.
An inquiry, however, allows the Canadian state to appear that is doing something about violence against women without every having to actually do anything. Indeed, with state-based information gathering mechanisms like inquiries, the state does little more than create and fund it, and it is the work of commissioners, but more importantly, contributors to make things happen.
I don't know about all of you, but I am tired of letting the state get away with this. I am tired of letting the state look like it cares about the lives of women, while all the time it does nothing to actually protect women from violence. I am tired of always having to be in the position of having to convince the government that the lives of women matter. In fact, the state's disinterest in meaningfully addressing violence against women suggests to me the critical investment that this state has in dominant systems of oppression, like patriarchy, racism, and colonialism.
But most of all, I want action. Waiting for the state to do something about violence is literally killing us, so I am not interested in participating in any delaying tactics or knowledge gathering for a state that clearly isn't listening.
I want meaningful change and I want it now, and I don't think that's too much to ask for. Because my life and the lives of all women and girls are worth more than this.
]]>Is Anyone Listening To The 'Forsaken,' Marginalized Women Of Vancouver?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.23190732012-12-18T13:28:10-05:002013-02-17T05:12:01-05:00Robyn Bourgeoishttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/robyn-bourgeois/
These words were repeated emphatically throughout Monday's statement by Commissioner Wally Oppal at the public release of the final report of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry.
Oppal implored us to take heed of the horrific suffering of the Missing Women to honor their legacy but also so we might better understand his position that systemic bias is responsible for the failings of the Missing Women investigation. As Oppal proclaimed at the opening of his statement, we need to stop violence against women and we need protect the most vulnerable members of our society.
With words like these, however, it is too easy to be left with the impression that the Missing Women, and marginalized women in general, are simply victims within this story, "troubled" women in need of protection by others.
The truth of the matter is these marginalized women have been among the leaders in the battle for justice for the Missing Women. These "forsaken women," "nobodies," and "sex trade workers" have a long history of organizing politically and demanding that someone answer for the violence experienced not only by the Missing Women, but also generally by the marginalized women of the Downtown Eastside.
And during Oppal's statement, we all had an opportunity to see this first hand — two brave moments of marginalized women demanding to be heard.
The first came near the beginning of the statement. As Oppal began to speak about some particulars of his report, he was interrupted by drums and singing. This was the Women's Warrior Song, and as it has been explained to me, it was gifted to an aboriginal woman who asked for a song for the Missing Women during a ceremony.
Sung to the beat of a traditional aboriginal hand drum, the Women's Warrior Song has become an anthem of courage and strength for those demanding justice for the Missing Women. By disrupting the proceedings, then, these singers and drummers demanded space within this "official" event for the voices of marginalized women.
The second came towards the end. After Oppal stressed that the commission had given everyone an opportunity to be heard, an aboriginal woman stood and bravely challenged him. She described herself as one of Oppal's "forsaken women" — someone with experience on the Downtown Eastside who had significant contributions to make to the inquiry. Yet she, like so many of the women and groups from the Downtown Eastside, was never permitted to be part of the hearings.
"You needed to hear what I had say," she said. "I am asking you to be invited to your table".
Thus, as Oppal and the media tried to talk about the Missing Women, the forsaken women, the marginalized women, these women demanded space to talk for themselves. They demanded to be heard — just as the marginalized women in the Downtown Eastside have long done.
Yes, these women are marginalized; yes, they have been forsaken by society; and yes, they are missing and murdered. But it's equally important to know that these marginalized women are also warriors, fighting to have their voices heard by the "powers that be." Fighting for a better life for the forsaken, the marginalized, and the abandoned women of the Downtown Eastside.
It remains to be seen, however, if anyone is listening.
]]>The Significance Of B.C.'s Missing Women Inquiry Reporttag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.23084692012-12-15T17:31:10-05:002013-02-14T05:12:01-05:00Robyn Bourgeoishttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/robyn-bourgeois/Missing Women Commission of Inquiry. Established in 2010 and headed by Wally Oppal, this inquiry was charged with examining a number of key issues pertaining to the investigation and legal handling of Vancouver's Missing Women cases, and to make recommendations based on these findings.
The proceedings of the inquiry were marred by the exclusion of a number of key witnesses, forced to withdraw because the province refused to provide any financial assistance to those appearing before the inquiry, as well as the resignation of Robyn Gervais, an independent lawyer appointed to represent aboriginal interests at the inquiry.
While it's tempting to dismiss this report on the basis of the inquiry's many problematic elements, I see this as a critical political moment on at least two counts:
This report will likely inform the investigation and handling of similar cases in Canada for the foreseeable future.
This is an opportunity to observe a formal state response to violence against women.
Police often rely on the findings of such inquiries to guide contemporary investigations - indeed, the report of the VPD's internal investigation of the handling of the Missing Women case suggests that the Missing Women investigation relied on the findings of the review into the Paul Bernardo murder investigation, and sought advice from other law enforcement agencies who had handled similar cases involving the deaths and disappearances of prostitutes.
In this way, this final report of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry is significant because it will likely inform how future investigations are carried out. Importantly, particularly for those of us interested in ending violence against women and girls, this is a critical opportunity to observe the inner workings of a formal state response to this violence, which in turn, better prepares us for engaging the Canadian state on this issue.
There are, however, a number of groups in Canada for whom this report carries particular and pressing significance. Perhaps most prominently, this report will have consequences for those in prostitution. Prostitution is the crux of the Missing Women investigation, with consideration of bias against prostitutes serving as critical component of interrogations of the investigation and handling of this case, including that undertaken by the Missing Women Inquiry. Consequently, the findings of this report are particularly important for those in the sex trade.
This report will also have particular significance for aboriginal women and girls in Canada. While often unacknowledged in mainstream accounts, it is estimated that anywhere from one-third to half of the Missing Women were of aboriginal ancestry. Importantly, the Missing Women case is just one example of the extreme violence experienced by aboriginal women and girls across Canada.
It is estimated, for example, that hundreds, if not thousands, of aboriginal women and girls have gone missing or been murdered across Canada over the last 30 years. Additionally, a number of these cases have involved aboriginal women and girls in prostitution, because aboriginal females are grossly overrepresented in the lowest and most dangerous forms of prostitution in Canada.
Significantly, incidents of violence against aboriginal women and girls have a long and ongoing history of being dismissed on the basis of the perceived and/or actual involvement of the aboriginal women and girls involved. Therefore, this report carries significant weight for aboriginal women and girls.
Over the next week, I intend to blog about the release of the final report of Missing Women Inquiry. I will focus my discussions around these two areas: what are the consequences of this report for those in prostitution, and what are the consequences for aboriginal women and girls.
My discussion will also be guided by two interconnected goals:
To dismantle dominant systems of oppression (sexism, racism, colonialism, etc.)
To end violence against women and children.
It is my intent here to offer a social justice perspective on this important moment in Canadian legal history.