For over a century, the central goals of Canada's Aboriginal policy were to eliminate Aboriginal governments; ignore Aboriginal rights; terminate the Treaties; and, through a process of assimilation, cause Aboriginal peoples to cease to exist as distinct legal, social, cultural, religious, and racial entities in Canada. The establishment and operation of residential schools were a central element of this policy, which can best be described as "cultural genocide."
The government, often in partnership with the country's major religious bodies, sought to 'civilize' and Christianize, and, ultimately, assimilate Aboriginal people into Canadian society. e deputy minister of Indian Aairs predicted in 1920 that in a century, thanks to the work of these schools, Aboriginal people would cease to exist as an identiable cultural group in Canada.
Residential schools were seen as a central element in this project. For their part, Aboriginal people saw the value in schooling. It was at their insistence, for example, that many Treaties required government to provide teachers and establish reserve schools.
The decision to invest in residential schools was based on a belief that the cultural and spiritual transformation that the government and churches sought to bring about in Aboriginal people could be most eectively accomplished in institutions that broke the bonds between parent and child.
It is due to the courage and determination of former students—the Survivors of Canada's residential school system—that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was established. They worked for decades to place the issue of the abusive treatment that students were subjected to at residential schools on the national agenda. Their perseverance led to the reaching of the historic Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.
All Canadians must now demonstrate the same level of courage and determination, as we commit to an ongoing process of reconciliation. By establishing a new and respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians, we will restore what must be restored, repair what must be repaired, and return what must be returned.
In preparation for the release of its final report, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has developed a definition of reconciliation and a guiding set of principles for truth and reconciliation. This definition has informed the Commission's work and the principles have shaped the calls to action we will issue in the final report.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was a commission like no other in Canada. Constituted and created by the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, which settled the class actions, the Commission spent six years travelling to all parts of Canada to hear from the Aboriginal people who had been taken from their families as children, forcibly if necessary, and placed for much of their childhoods in residential schools.
This volume is a summary of the discussion and findings contained in the Commission's final multi-volume report. The Final Report discusses what the Commission did and how it went about its work, as well as what it heard, read, and concluded about the schools and afterwards, based on all the evidence available to it. This summary must be read in conjunction with the Final Report.
About this booklet
- This booklet is for Inuit women and girls who are hurting because of violence in their relationship or in their family.
- This booklet is written for Inuit women and girls, but anyone—man or woman, young or old, Inuit or Qallunaat—who is being hurt or who is hurting others is encouraged to get help.
- Seeking help is not weakness but is a sign of strength in choosing to break cycles of violence and abuse.
- If you know someone who is hurting, you can tell her she is not alone ... and you can show her this booklet in a safe place.
This booklet is written for First Nations and Métis people who are hurting because of violence in their lives. However, everyone who is being hurt, or who is hurting others—woman or man, old or young, First Nations and Métis or not—is encouraged to get help.
When we say First Nations and Métis in this booklet, it includes all Indigenous people, but a separate publication in this series is available for Inuit.
Read this booklet if you:
- are living with violence or abuse at home —in your relationship, or in your family;
- want a healthier, happier home for you and your children; or
- are worried about another person in your family or community who is living with violence or abuse at home.Â
This booklet contains information about family violence and abuse. It also contains suggestions about how to get help.
Family violence happens in all kinds of families, in all communities. It happens to Canadians and non-Canadians. It happens to people who are young and old. It happens between intimate partners and between parents and children. It may be happening to you.
Family should be a safe place. Family members should treat each other with respect and dignity, regardless of age or gender. Family violence or abuse is not acceptable.Â
Also available in Arabic, Traditional Chinese, Dari, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tamil, and Urdu.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) transcends age; yet, abuse is often thought of as age-specific, with an emphasis on women who are younger or of childbearing age. When this happens, the violence experienced by women who are older is rendered invisible and their voices are silenced.
Contributing to this problem are the inconsistent definitions used by researchers, which may leave out women who consider themselves as older but are not recognized as such. In this newsletter, we build upon research inclusive of a variety of ages in order to reflect a wider range of women's experiences.
While focused on women who are older, we recognize that the experiences of these women may be shaped by oppressions beyond those associated with age and gender (e.g. oppressions related to indigeneity, poverty, disability, immigra on status, sexual orientation).
This report proposes that there are currently three dominant theoretical frameworks used by researchers for understanding neglect, abuse and violence against older women.
These are:
1. Older adult mistreatment, informed by social gerontology and using a definition proposed in the Toronto Declaration on Elder Mistreatment (World Health Organization (WHO), 2002);
2. Older adult protection, informed by geriatrics and using a definition that was formalized by the National Research Council (NRC) (National Research Council, 2003); and
3, Intimate partner violence, informed by the domestic violence movement and adapting a definition originally formulated by the United States of America Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (Saltzman and others, 2002).
Quels obstacles les femmes plus âgées doivent-elles surmonter lorsqu'elles tentent d'utiliser les services et d'obtenir des soutiens?
Les participantes à l'étude « Vieillir sans violence » ont indiqué pourquoi elles croient que les femmes plus âgées victimes de violence n'utilisent pas les services :
• Elles croient qu'il s'agit d'une question personnelle (34 %)
• Elles croient qu'il n'y a aucune raison d'obtenir de l'aide (durée des mauvais traitements) (31 %)
• Elles ne connaissent pas les services o erts (19 %)
• Elles ne pensent pas que l'organisme soutient leur groupe d'âge (8 %)1