February 14, 2013

Mounties abuse Native women

Human Rights Watch Details Alleged Abuse, Rape, of Aboriginal Women by RCMP Officers in British Columbia

By David P. BallExplosive allegations of gang rape, widespread abuse and anti-Native racism have rocked Canada's national police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which vowed on February 13 to investigate the claims by one of the world's leading rights groups.

According to a shocking report released on Wednesday by the respected U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW)—which interviewed 50 aboriginal women and girls in numerous communities for its research—police officers gang raped one woman, stripped, sexually abused or raped several detainees in custody, and created a “constant state of fear” in victims.

The report, “Those Who Take Us Away,” details accounts of alleged widespread abuse by the RCMP.

This report “was about the level of fear that I and my colleague witnessed in the north at levels that we found comparable in conflict situations in post-war Iraq,” Meghan Rhoad, HRW's lead researcher for the report, said. “It’s about the lack of meaningful accountability for police neglect or police mistreatment, which creates an environment of impunity for violence against ingenious woman and girls.”
Comment:  For more on violence against women, see Republicans Fear VAWA's Tribal Jurisdiction and Canada's Racists Become Rapists.

Below:  "Meghan Rhoad, women's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch speaks during a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 13, 2013." (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)



Which one's the rapist?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This sort of thing is common in a lot of rural areas. White men really, I don't know if it's dissociation or simple sociopathy, but there's a history of crimes against Indians...for the thrill of it.

Give such people power (as sociopaths are invariably skilled at acquiring) and you get this.

Rob said...

For more on the subject, see:

http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2013/02/15/is-the-relationship-between-the-rcmp-and-aboriginal-women-broken/

Is the relationship between the RCMP and Aboriginal women broken?

The RCMP stands accused of abusing aboriginal women in northern British Columbia. The allegations appear in a report by Human Rights Watch and yet not a single woman has come forward to complain. We explore the past and present state of a tense relationship that is more surprising than it seems.

Rob said...

Naturally, the Mounties deny the charges:

http://aptn.ca/pages/news/2013/02/20/rcmp-dismissing-claims-of-rape-abuse-by-officers-on-aboriginal-women-human-rights-watch/

RCMP dismissing claims of rape, abuse by officers on Aboriginal women: Human Rights Watch