Minister's Advisory Council on Indigenous Women
VISION, MISSION AND PHILOSOPHY
VISION: A world where all Indigenous peoples live free of violence and are healthy, sustainable and self-determining.
MISSION: To improve the quality of life for Indigenous women.
PHILOSOPHY: MACIW honours Indigenous worldviews and works from a holistic perspective of women. Thus, when we speak of women, we consider this to be inclusive of, but not limited to, children, family, community, nation, wellness, justice, land and water.
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MACIW draws inspiration from Article 22 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP):
- Particular attention shall be paid to the rights and special needs of Indigenous Elders, women, youth, children and persons with disabilities in the implementation of this Declaration.
- States shall take measures, in conjunction with Indigenous peoples, to ensure that Indigenous women and children enjoy the full protection and guarantees against all forms of violence and discrimination.
MACIW Strategic Plan - 2017-20
GOVERNANCE
Position Descriptions
Core Competencies
MEMBERS
MACIW is comprised of up to 10 respected indigenous women from across British Columbia. It has a Chair, a Vice-Chair and eight members. One position is designated for an Elder Representative and another for a Youth Representative. Members are appointed by the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation based on criteria of diversity, experience and regional representation. To meet the council member see biographies.
|
Name |
|
Position |
Term |
|
Chastity Davis |
Tla’amin Nation |
Chair |
2012 – Present |
|
Barbara Ward-Burkitt |
Fort McKay First Nation |
Vice-Chair |
2014 – Present |
|
Paulette Flamond |
Métis |
Member |
2011 – Present |
|
Dr. Lorna Williams |
Lil’wat |
Member, Elder Representative |
2014 – Present |
| Sarah Robinson | Fort Nelson First Nation & Saulteau First Nation | Member | 2017 - Present |
|
Coreen Child |
Kwakiutl First Nation |
Member |
2016 – Present |
| Raven Lacerte | Carrier First Nation | Member, Youth Representative | 2017 - Present |
GIVING VOICE
In Canada, one in two women is a victim of violence. However, despite representing a small percentage of the overall population, Indigenous women are three times more likely to be victims of violence, and those violent situations are eight times more likely to end in homicide. Violence against Indigenous women exists for a variety of reasons, including patriarchal and discriminatory legislation implemented by past governments – leading to historical and ongoing oppression – residential schools, and systemic racism and sexism.
There are many strong, courageous individuals and organizations that work diligently to stop violence against women and girls. To add to these efforts, MACIW launched Giving Voice in 2013. These projects provided Indigenous women, men, youth and Elders a safe opportunity to “give voice” to issues of violence within their lives, families and communities. These community-led projects aimed to stop violence against Indigenous women and girls by changing behaviours and attitudes, and mobilizing communities.
In 2013-2014, the Province provided $70,000 in funding to 13 projects. Watch a brief video called Giving Voice.
Over 2014-2016, the Province provided $350,000 in funding to 37 projects. Twenty-five organizations received funds to implement “giving voice” projects over one year (2014-2015), while 12 received funds to support “mobilization and implementation” projects over two years (2014-2016).
Communities said that the Giving Voice projects:
- Created opportunities to give voice to issues of violence and abuse
- Built empathy and connectedness amongst community members
- Created opportunities to engage in traditional activities for vulnerable people
- Created awareness about different types of violence
- Increased opportunities for vulnerable populations to participate in community programming
- Addressed the impacts stemming from violence
- Built a community partnership or collaboration
- Assisted the community to build capacity.
REPORTS AND RESOURCES
Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Stopping Violence Against Aboriginal Women and Girls
Declaration on Stopping Violence Against Aboriginal Women and Girls
Annual Reports
Final Report
VIDEOS
