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17 Jan 2020 
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Canada is known to be one of the most beautiful, safe, and free countries in the world. In some aspects that is true, however Indigenous peoples affected by domestic violent would argue against that statement. The basis of this essay stems from a news article created by Yukon News. The article calls for all governments in Canada to allow victims of domestic violence access to extended leave in ordered to receive the help needed. The article also states that Indigenous peoples are up to four times more likely to experience domestic violence, in comparison to their non-Indigenous counterparts (Gignac, 2019).
This essay will examine the historical and contemporary issues that contribute to the higher level of domestic violence faced Indigenous peoples. The research section will focus on the lasting impacts of colonization, and how it contributes to a higher level of domestic violence faced by Indigenous peoples. Following the research section, the essay will then move onto discussing what is currently being done to fix this issue, then finish with a conclusion.
Research
Colonization of Indigenous Peoples in Canada
Initially when European settlers arrived to North America, their legal claim to the territory was “peaceful” and based on the doctrine of terra nullius. The legal framework aims for peace and friendship treaties with Indigenous peoples, and recognized Indigenous nationhood and sovereignty. However, that was short lived. Once Britain established control over North America, the previous peaceful approach was no longer. Britain began to “eliminate” Indigenous Nations as their own legal and political entity (Alfred, 2009).
This was the start of Britain trying to “civilize” Indigenous peoples, by religion and modern ways of living. This was the beginning of reshaping the way Indigenous people once lived, in the complete interest of capitalism. Indigenous peoples in Canada were removed from their land, stripped from many of their rights and were no longer able to continue their traditional cultural activities (Alfred, 2009). The effects of trauma that was caused by the colonization of Indigenous peoples are still present in today’s society and may be contributing factors to the higher levels of domestic violence that Indigenous peoples face. The next section will discuss trauma caused by colonization, and the effects of trauma and colonization such as poverty, substance abuse, mental health issues, over-representation of Indigenous peoples in the Canadian criminal justice system, and identity issues.
Domestic Violence
To understand this essay, it is important to understand what domestic violence is. Domestic
In addition to the article done by Yukon news, Statistics Canada also recognizes that the overrepresentation of domestic violence in Indigenous communities is at the forefront in Canada (Boyce, 2016). Indigenous peoples in majority of provinces, and territories in Canada face a higher rate of victimization than their non-Indigenous counterparts. The sexual assault rate of Indigenous peoples is fifty-eight in one-thousand people, compared to twenty in one-thousand people which is almost three times higher than their non-Indigenous counterparts (Boyce, 2016). Additionally, the physical assault rate is ninety per one-thousand people, compared to forty-seven in one-thousand people, almost double than their non-Indigenous counterparts (Boyce, 2016).
Focusing specifically on Indigenous women, they are two times more likely to be a victim of a violent offence compared to Indigenous men. Indigenous women are almost three times more likely to be a victim of a violent offence compared to non-Indigenous women (Boyce, 2016). This article recognizes that the higher rate of domestic violence faced by Indigenous peoples is not purely based on their Indigenous identity, though the associated risks increased their levels of victimization. These associated risks with be further discussed in the following sections (Boyce, 2016).
Trauma Faced by Indigenous Peoples in Canada
Coping with trauma varies between all individuals, and unfortunately many Indigenous people in Canada have, and still face trauma. The trauma stems from the colonization of Indigenous peoples, and the oppression and injustices that the Canadian Government created (Aguiar & Halseth, 2015). The Canadian government created residential schools which intended to “exterminate” all Indigenous peoples, “until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic” (Aguiar & Halseth, 2015, pg. 7). Many of the Indigenous children in residential schools faced physical, mental, and sexual abuse which worsened the level of trauma inflicted to the children generations (Aguiar & Halseth, 2015).
During the residential school era, Indigenous children were taken by settlers who supressed their cultural identity, and taught them the Euro-Western culture, which left those children and their families with severe trauma that is still being passed down to current generations (Aguiar & Halseth, 2015). The trauma is the basis for many other issues that Indigenous peoples face, including domestic violence.
Intergenerational Trauma
Poverty
Focusing solely on the economic portion of poverty, Indigenous people are more likely to face poverty, and have limited access to health care. Over 18 percent of Indigenous households have an income of less than $20,000, in comparison to only 9.9 percent of non-Indigenous households (Wien, 2017, pg. 2). Additionally, thirty-five percent of children under the age of six are living in a low-income household in comparison to 18 percent of non-Indigenous households (Wien, 2017, pg. 2).
While focusing on community well-being scores which creates a score based on educational achievement, housing quantity and quality, and labour market activity, Indigenous people have scored much lower than non-Indigenous peoples since 1981 (Wien, 2017, pg. 3). In 2019, the average Indigenous community well-being score was fifty-nine, which is twenty points lower than lower than non-indigenous communities (Wien, 2017, pg. 3).
In regards of healthcare, Indigenous people are more likely to engage in risky behaviour such as smoking, and more commonly face barriers in accessing health care compared to their non-Indigenous counter parts. Communities with a higher level of poverty are more likely to have a lower level of education than the average Canadian citizen (Wien, 2017).
In general, Indigenous peoples have completed less education than their non-Indigenous counterparts. Looking at 2011 statistics, under half of Indigenous peoples aged twenty-five to sixty-five had a post-secondary education, whereas sixty-five percent non-Indigenous peoples in the same age group had a post-secondary education (Boyce, 2016). Focusing on the completion of a high-school diploma, close to thirty percent of Indigenous people did not hold a high-school diploma in comparison to twelve percent of non-Indigenous peoples (Boyce, 2016).
In Domestic Violence, Poverty, and Social Services: Does Location Matter? Hetling & Zhang found that socioeconomic factors similar to the previous paragraphs which included low household income, limited access to healthcare and lower rates of education correlate to a higher level of domestic violence (Hetling & Zhang, 2010). This illustrates that indeed poverty may be a contributing factor to the higher levels of domestic violence that Indigenous peoples face.
Substance Abuse
A large portion of the survivors of residential schools, turned to the use of alcohol and drugs in attempts to elevate the awful memories, or to regain the ability to feel power and control over something. Substance abuse is still a problem among Indigenous communities, in 2003 Health Canada stated that in seventy-three percent of Indigenous communities faced issues with alcohol abuse, and fifty-nine percent were faced with drug abuse issues (Chansonneuve, 2007).
The link between alcohol and domestic violence has been well-research, and evidence suggests that alcohol may indeed be a contributing factor to why people use violence under the influence of alcohol (Easton, Mandel, Franfurter, Nich, & Carroll, 2010). Intoxication, whether that be by drugs or alcohol is known to cause violence. Individuals who become intoxicated “facilities” violence, due to the psychological effects that substances have on cognitive processing (Easton et al, 2010). In fact, male to female physical violence is more than eleven times more likely to occur when the male was drinking, compared to the days where the male was not drinking (Easton et al, 2010). Considering the higher levels of substance abuse in Indigenous communities, this evidence may also prove to be a contributing factor in the higher levels of domestic violence faced by Indigenous peoples.
Mental Health
The mental health crisis in Indigenous communities around the world, including Canada is a result of the historical, and contemporary issues of systematic disadvantages and colonization. Indigenous peoples have, and continue to face higher rates of depression, suicide, substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder (Josee, L. 2018). Despite the efforts the Canadian government have made to address this issue, Indigenous peoples are still more likely to suffer from mental health illnesses in comparison to their non-Indigenous counterparts (Josee, L. 2018).
An individual who is suffering from a mental health illness, is more likely to be a perpetrator of domestic violence (Myhill & Hohl, 2019). In a research study aimed to distinguish the most common traits in perpetrators of domestic violence completed by Andy Myhill and Katrin Hohl found that over fifty percent of perpetrators had mental health, and or substance abuse issues (Myhill & Hohl, 2019, pg. 4487). As mental health is a trait in perpetrators of domestic violence, the higher rate of mental health illnesses faced by Indigenous peoples is concerning and may act as a contributing factor of the higher level of domestic violence in Indigenous communities.
Crime and Incarceration