Sad to Say Goodbye - NWAC - Part 2

By Trudie Broderick, 1st year MDP student

Trudie and Michelle Odette, NWAC President

After completing a three month volunteer placement in Ottawa with the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), sadly my summer has finally come to an end.

I have now arrived back in Manitoba in time to begin my final year in the MDP program.

My time at NWAC helped deepen my understanding of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities in Canada. In particular, it broadened my understanding of issues impacting Aboriginal females across North America.

NWAC’s work currently focuses on the serious issue of the significant numbers of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls. At present, it primarily aims to challenge laws that fail to protect Aboriginal women and girls from sexual violence including trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation.

 

This was not an area that I had worked in prior to arriving on NWAC’s doorstep – the lessons I have taken from NWAC will stay with me forever. Learning about the experiences of women and girls who have been or are being trafficked for sex gave me no choice but to think about my own life as a woman. It forced me to think about the treatment of Aboriginal women here in Canada and then reflect on the position of our women and girls back home in Australia. Our shared historical experiences demonstrated just how closely aligned we are even though we are from opposite sides of the globe. 

During my time with NWAC, I participated in everything from fund raising activities, to creating surveys and drafting internal and external reports and articles for the annual newsletter. I gained experience in drafting media releases and assisted in organising NWAC’s 40th Annual General Assembly (AGA). Held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend the AGA and then to stay on for the Assembly of First Nations 35th AGA which occurred around the same time.In addition, I participated in several peaceful protests on Ottawa’s Parliament Hill during the drafting of Canada’s new anti-prostitution Bill.

Trudie on Parliament Hill

Native Women's Association of Canada - Part 1

By Trudie Broderick, 1st year MDP student

 

I began my placement with the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) on 5 May 2014. This was an area of human rights that I have never worked before so I was looking forward to adding to my skills set, however I definitely felt some nerves.

During my first month I spent a great deal of time building my knowledge base on human rights mechanisms available to First Nations, Inuit and Métis women and girls in Canada. I primarily focused on the limitations of Canada’s current legislative frameworks in protecting Aboriginal women and girls who have been or are being trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation. 

It became apparent to me very quickly that if current legislative mechanisms fell well short of protecting women from sexual exploitation in general, then they would be completely inadequate in protecting Aboriginal women and girls from the world of human trafficking.  It also became apparent that where the law failed to protect those vulnerable to sexual exploitation, limitations would also be placed on the availability of resources to services essential to the needs of the women and girls who depend on them.

Trudie (L), Jenna Mayes (C), Isabel Kanz (R) on Parliament Hill, Ottawa

On May 14, 2014, the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, James Anaya had been released.  The Report urged the Canadian government to undertake a comprehensive inquiry into the alarming numbers of missing and murdered Aboriginal women.

On May 16, 2014 the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) released their National Operational Overview which details the implementation of a national strategy.  Its purpose is to combat human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation and to better support the needs of the most vulnerable. 

The lessons learned from my time with NWAC are strongly suggestive of a multi-pronged approach to combatting violence and sexual exploitation of Aboriginal women and girls. Such an approach requires legislative change, community education, appropriate service delivery models and realistic exit strategies for women and girls who have been or are being exploited sexually. 

Regardless of the ongoing political and legal debates that occur within the four walls of parliament, there are 1,181 families who have lost a pertinent part of their lives. It seems a little too easy to forget that this rising figure has a human value.