Residential facilities for victims of abuse with ties to Indigenous communities or organizations in Canada, 2017/2018
Date: July 22, 2020
Classification: Unclassified
Branch/Agency: Portfolio Affairs and Communications
Issue:
On July 22, 2020, the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Statistics Canada, published a Juristat report entitled, “Residential facilities for victims of abuse with ties to Indigenous communities or organizations in Canada, 2017/2018”.
Proposed Response:
- Shelters serving Indigenous communities across Canada provide a vital place of refuge for women and their children to escape situations of violence and receive support to prevent future violence.
- The Government of Canada is investing nearly $200 million, and over $40 million per year ongoing, for initiatives to combat gender-based violence, in addition to creating or repairing 7,000 shelter spaces under the National Housing Strategy.
- Since the beginning of this pandemic, the Government has made additional investments to support Indigenous women and children experiencing violence or threats to ensure they get the support they need, when they need it. Up to $10 million was provided to Indigenous Services Canada’s (ISC) existing network of 46 emergency shelters on reserve and in Yukon to support Indigenous women and children fleeing violence.
- Human trafficking disproportionately affects Indigenous women and girls. This terrible crime exploits human vulnerability created by poverty, racism and a lack of social support networks.
- Backed by an investment of $57.22 million over five years, the new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking strengthens Canada’s ability to fight these crimes.
Background:
This report presents findings from the 2018 Survey of Residential Facilities for Victims of Abuse for those facilities that have ties to Indigenous communities or organizations (Indigenous residential facilities), defined as being located in an Indigenous community, on a reserve, or owned or operated by a First Nations government. These facilities provide safe shelter and basic living needs for victims of abuse and human trafficking, as well as various types of support and outreach services.
Key findings:
Residential facilities: location and admissions
In 2017/18, there were 85 Indigenous facilities, accounting for 17% of all residential facilities in Canada. The majority (59%) were located in rural areas, 30 of these were located on reserve.
Over a one-year period, these facilities saw over 10,500 admissions, the vast majority of which were women (64%) and their accompanying children (36%).
Indigenous women and residential facilities
Indigenous women comprised 70% of women in Indigenous facilities and 17% in non-Indigenous facilities. Combined, Indigenous women accounted for 22% of women in all residential facilities, five times higher than their proportion in the general Canadian female population.
Around one in three (35%) women residing in Indigenous facilities for victims of abuse had previously stayed in that facility in the last year, either receiving services as a client (29%) or on an outreach basis (6%). These facilities identified a lack of permanent housing and a lack of affordable long-term housing as the most common challenges facing facilities and residents in 2017/18.
Of the women who left an Indigenous shelter, one-third (34%) said that they were returning to a home with the abuser. Just over one-quarter (26%) of the women were going to live with friends or relatives, while 20% were departing for another shelter for victims of abuse. A further 11% of women were returning to a home where the abuser would no longer be living.
Human trafficking
7% of women in Indigenous facilities stated they were there to escape human trafficking sex work and 2% to escape human trafficking forced labour, compared to 2% and 1% respectively of women in non-Indigenous facilities. Indigenous women appear to have a higher risk of experiencing human trafficking than non-Indigenous women
Contacts:
Prepared by: Patrick Savoie, Analyst, Portfolio Affairs and Communications Branch, 343-571-8885
Approved by: Jill Wherrett, ADM, Portfolio Affairs and Communications Branch, 613-949-6435
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