The province of British Columbia has been particularly
badly affected by violence against indigenous women and
girls and by the failure of Canadian law enforcement
authorities to deal with the phenomenon. Cutting through the
small communities policed by the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police (RCMP) in northern BC is the Highway of Tears, a 724-
kilometer stretch of road which has become infamous for the
dozens of women and girls who have gone missing or been
murdered in its vicinity.
The high rates of violence against indigenous women and
girls have drawn widespread expressions of concern from
national and international human rights authorities, which
have repeatedly called for Canada to address the problem.
But these calls for action have not produced sufficient change
and indigenous women and girls continue to go missing or be
murdered in unacceptably large numbers.
The failure of law enforcement authorities to deal effectively
with the problem of missing and murdered indigenous women
and girls in Canada is just one element of the dysfunctional
relationship between the Canadian police and indigenous
communities. This report addresses the relationship between
the RCMP and indigenous women and girls in northern BC and
documents not only how indigenous women and girls are
under-protected by the police but also how some have been
the objects of outright police abuse. The report further
documents the shortcomings of available oversight
mechanisms designed to provide accountability for police
misconduct and failure to protect.