Stephen Harper's own reports contradict Stephen Harper's view on aboriginal women

mentalfloss

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
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Reports contradict Stephen Harper's view on aboriginal women victims

Dozens of federal, provincial and community studies compiled by the Conservative government appear to contradict the prime minister's contention that the problem of missing and murdered aboriginal women isn't a "sociological phenomenon."

Officials point to a non-exhaustive list of 40 studies conducted on the issue between 1996 and 2013.

A closer look at the research shows that in nearly every case, the authors or participants highlight the "root" or systemic causes of violence against aboriginal women and their marginalization in society.

The legacy of colonization, including the displacement and dispossession linked with residential schools and other policies, are cited frequently in the reports. The impact of poverty and lack of housing are also cited as root causes of violence against aboriginal women.

"There are root causes of violence in the aboriginal communities that include things like poverty and racism and this is why it's incredibly important for us to work with organizations, aboriginal organizations, across the country...," Rona Ambrose, then status of women minister, told a parliamentary hearing in 2011.

Harper has offered a different perspective.

"I think we should not view this as sociological phenomenon. We should view it as crime," he said last month.

..more....

http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/aboriginal...-s-view-on-aboriginal-women-victims-1.2754542
 
Locutus

Locutus

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mentalfloss

mentalfloss

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Jun 28, 2010
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Stephen Harper is wrong: Crime and sociology are the same thing

Stephen Harper recently responded to renewed calls for a public inquiry into the national crisis of missing and murdered Aboriginal women with the comment that the 1,200 cases are “crimes” and not “sociological phenomena.”

The recent pressure on the federal government to acknowledge that these incidents constitute a national crisis emerged following the tragic murder of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine. Since Mr. Harper made this claim, several commentators have accurately pointed out that the over-representation of Aboriginal women as victims of violence serves as concrete and indisputable evidence that the problem is systemic. In joining those who believe our government should generate policy and claims with reference to reality, I would also like to draw attention to another indisputable and obvious point that Mr. Harper overlooked: crime is a sociological phenomenon.

As a professor of criminology and socio-legal Studies, I emphasize this point to my students in all of my courses. I illustrate this claim in multiple ways. Generally, what students find most convincing are the vast distinctions in homicide rates between the United States and Canada. I use Chicago and Toronto as reference points given that both are similar in terms of population size, ranging around 2.5 million. Back in 2012, Chicago made international headlines when its total number of homicides reached 522. In the same year, Toronto’s total was 56. Not only was Chicago’s homicide rate almost ten times that of Toronto’s; it was only slightly less than the total number of homicides in all of Canada in 2012

What can account for these vast disparities in murder rates between these two cities despite their demographic similarities? Well, if we follow Mr. Harper’s logic – that crime and sociological phenomena are two different things – it would simply appear that more bad and homicidal people live in Chicago than in Toronto. In fact, there just must be more bad people in Chicago than in most of Canada. And when it comes to those victimized by violence, it would appear that Chicagoans on average suffer from bad luck at much higher rates than most Torontonians. Obviously, this “bad luck and bad people” explanation is absurd and overlooks the complexity of crime and its multiple causes. However, distinguishing crime from sociological phenomena suggests that both offending and victimization are just random acts. Such a perspective ultimately leads us to this simplistic form of reasoning.

Clearly, what Mr. Harper is urging in his repeated calls to avoid “committing sociology,” as he had referred to it once in the past, is to stop asking why social problems occur, such as the astonishing rates of violence Aboriginal women experience. What he also advocates is the total disregard for considering causes of crime when trying to develop ways to prevent it.

Denying that violence against Aboriginal women and crime in general are sociological phenomena accomplishes four objectives. First, the claim obscures the effects of colonialism in rendering Aboriginal women far more vulnerable than other Canadian women to violence. Second, it individualizes accountability for the problem. Third, it prevents a consideration of any response beyond criminal justice intervention. Finally, it completely sidesteps any discussion of proactive responses that can be put in place to address the conditions that render Aboriginal women so vulnerable to violence. As several Winnipeg based activists recently pointed out, improving safety in public spaces by expanding community centres and public transport are just a few of an array of potential interventions that could significantly improve the daily lives of Aboriginal women.

Crime is a sociological phenomenon. More specifically, it is a barometer of social health, a contemporary manifestation of historical violence, and an expression of intersecting structural oppressions. The over-representation of Aboriginal women as victims of homicide is a problem that distinguishes Canada from the rest of the Western world, including the United States. Interpreting homicide rates through a sociological lens illuminates the fact that while homicide in general is not at all a national crisis, the murder of Aboriginal women indisputably is.

Stephen Harper is wrong: Crime and sociology are the same thing - The Globe and Mail
 
petros

petros

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Are dead and missing women not a criminal issue? The why they are missing is socialological and the why is already as known.
 
MHz

MHz

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Mar 16, 2007
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'They' will spend $1B on security in Toronto to protect some big-wig businessmen without batting an eye. The priorities are they they are just backwards. Healthy judges itself by how well off the poorest of the people in the Nation are. Harper's speech in Cancun said he was going to do just that. Apparently it could have been part of his campaign speech for the attention it got. You get what is bought and paid for, or money is just a bonus from the suckers.
 
Kreskin

Kreskin

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Feb 23, 2006
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What do they expect Harper to do about what happened in the past? Conduct yet another study? Sign a document that magically fixes everything? Say it is sociological and thus like magic everyone is safe?
 
mentalfloss

mentalfloss

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Kreskin said:
What do they expect Harper to do about what happened in the past? Conduct yet another study? Sign a document that magically fixes everything? Say it is sociological and thus like magic everyone is safe?
Click to expand...

Address the root causes if they are already known?
 
taxslave

taxslave

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Nov 25, 2008
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mentalfloss said:
Stephen Harper is wrong: Crime and sociology are the same thing

Stephen Harper recently responded to renewed calls for a public inquiry into the national crisis of missing and murdered Aboriginal women with the comment that the 1,200 cases are “crimes” and not “sociological phenomena.”

The recent pressure on the federal government to acknowledge that these incidents constitute a national crisis emerged following the tragic murder of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine. Since Mr. Harper made this claim, several commentators have accurately pointed out that the over-representation of Aboriginal women as victims of violence serves as concrete and indisputable evidence that the problem is systemic. In joining those who believe our government should generate policy and claims with reference to reality, I would also like to draw attention to another indisputable and obvious point that Mr. Harper overlooked: crime is a sociological phenomenon.

As a professor of criminology and socio-legal Studies, I emphasize this point to my students in all of my courses. I illustrate this claim in multiple ways. Generally, what students find most convincing are the vast distinctions in homicide rates between the United States and Canada. I use Chicago and Toronto as reference points given that both are similar in terms of population size, ranging around 2.5 million. Back in 2012, Chicago made international headlines when its total number of homicides reached 522. In the same year, Toronto’s total was 56. Not only was Chicago’s homicide rate almost ten times that of Toronto’s; it was only slightly less than the total number of homicides in all of Canada in 2012

What can account for these vast disparities in murder rates between these two cities despite their demographic similarities? Well, if we follow Mr. Harper’s logic – that crime and sociological phenomena are two different things – it would simply appear that more bad and homicidal people live in Chicago than in Toronto. In fact, there just must be more bad people in Chicago than in most of Canada. And when it comes to those victimized by violence, it would appear that Chicagoans on average suffer from bad luck at much higher rates than most Torontonians. Obviously, this “bad luck and bad people” explanation is absurd and overlooks the complexity of crime and its multiple causes. However, distinguishing crime from sociological phenomena suggests that both offending and victimization are just random acts. Such a perspective ultimately leads us to this simplistic form of reasoning.

Clearly, what Mr. Harper is urging in his repeated calls to avoid “committing sociology,” as he had referred to it once in the past, is to stop asking why social problems occur, such as the astonishing rates of violence Aboriginal women experience. What he also advocates is the total disregard for considering causes of crime when trying to develop ways to prevent it.

Denying that violence against Aboriginal women and crime in general are sociological phenomena accomplishes four objectives. First, the claim obscures the effects of colonialism in rendering Aboriginal women far more vulnerable than other Canadian women to violence. Second, it individualizes accountability for the problem. Third, it prevents a consideration of any response beyond criminal justice intervention. Finally, it completely sidesteps any discussion of proactive responses that can be put in place to address the conditions that render Aboriginal women so vulnerable to violence. As several Winnipeg based activists recently pointed out, improving safety in public spaces by expanding community centres and public transport are just a few of an array of potential interventions that could significantly improve the daily lives of Aboriginal women.

Crime is a sociological phenomenon. More specifically, it is a barometer of social health, a contemporary manifestation of historical violence, and an expression of intersecting structural oppressions. The over-representation of Aboriginal women as victims of homicide is a problem that distinguishes Canada from the rest of the Western world, including the United States. Interpreting homicide rates through a sociological lens illuminates the fact that while homicide in general is not at all a national crisis, the murder of Aboriginal women indisputably is.

Stephen Harper is wrong: Crime and sociology are the same thing - The Globe and Mail
Click to expand...

If crime and sociology are the same thing why don't we fire all the sociologists and just hire more cops. Save duplicating efforts and administration costs.
 
Tecumsehsbones

Tecumsehsbones

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Mar 18, 2013
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Well, I think we're seeing the real shape of things now. Nobody gives a damn about aboriginal women. They're just a stick for the two main parties to beat each other with.
 
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