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Background

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Gendered and colonial violence has its roots in settler colonialist policies, which laid the foundation for the centuries-long genocide of Indigenous Peoples. The complexities of this violence requires systemic analyses and direct experience with the communities affected. Common factors that create violence in both Canada and Mexico include:

1. Indigenous identity (state-controlled categorization by non-Indigenous peoples, stereotypes);

2. Access to basic needs (water, housing, education etc.) and rights (inherent to individual and collective levels);

3. Access to culturally appropriate social services and healing programs;

4. Access to power (state, community, home) and being outside of a supportive network;

5. Access to disaggregated data to prevent violence.

This project grew out of the need to address this violence, which led to communication and collaboration between the Coordinadora Nacional de Mujeres Indigenas (CONAMI) in Mexico and the Indigenous Women’s Anti-Violence Task Force (IWAVTF) of Baawaating in Northern Ontario, and our network of activists, academics, and allies. Both organizations have identified the need to develop appropriate methodologies to gather data and thereby strengthen their political advocacy work. 

Values

We are guided by community needs, aspirations, voices, and the vision of people impacted by violence. Values of intergenerationality, spirituality, honesty, dialogue, learning, and commitment have been placed at the heart of this collaboration and research project. In addition, we also respect the OCAP principles (Ownership, Control, Access and Protection) and respect the origins of knowledge(s) and where the information and stories are housed, who controls it, who has access, and how to protect this. 

Purpose

This research project aims to strengthen the research capacities of IWAVTF and CONAMI in the advocacy work they are both already engaged in to challenge multiple forms of violence against Indigenous women, Two-Spirit and gender diverse individuals. In addition, we sought to develop and apply an original ally framework based on respectful transnational partnerships that promote activist alliances with Indigenous communities and organizations. This framework includes protocols and guidelines for gathering sensitive data in a trauma-informed way and that may be replicated and adjusted to different contexts.

In Canada, this project supports the efforts of the IWAVTF in gathering stories that address the root causes of gendered and colonial violence as stated in the 231 Calls for Justice, particularly in identifying the gaps in social services geared to and accessed by Indigenous Peoples, in particular those self-identifying as women. 

In Mexico, this project supports CONAMI in building a complex portrait of different factors that affect Indigenous women and their communities, including violence related to criminal order and extractive capitalist industries. CONAMI will continue to refine relevant, community and Indigenous-led methods and a collective strategy for gathering data on violence against Indigenous women.

Overall, this project brings the two regions together to:

1. Collaboratively develop a decolonizing, intersectional and relational methodology to document violence against Indigenous women and strategies being used to address violence, including services available in the Canadian context. 

2. Strengthen grassroots methodological frameworks by applying a South-North knowledge exchange of qualitative and quantitative data gathering methods.

3. Collectively develop an appropriate analytical process to co-produce and disseminate knowledge about violence against Indigenous women and their strategies to seek justice. 

4. Critically evaluate the research process, collaboration and outcomes.
    

About the partners

The Coordinadora Nacional de Mujeres Indigenas (CONAMI) is dedicated to the defense of Indigenous women's rights from the local to the international level. Based in Oaxaca and formed in 1997, the grassroots committee focuses on the political strengthening of Indigenous women and their respective organizations.

As an Indigenous-led, female-identified network of advocates, the Indigenous Women’s Anti-Violence Task Force (IWAVTF) is dedicated to restoring and protecting the honour and value of all Indigenous women in Baawaating through culturally-safe responses. The task force has been working since 2018 to reveal and address the root causes of MMIWG2S+. 

Project team members

Dr. Vivian Jimenez Estrada, Algoma University 

Principal investigator
Dra. Dolores Figueroa Romero, Catedrática CONACYT-CIESAS 

Project co-applicant and co-investigator

Eva Dabutch, RSW, Batchewana Learning Center

Co-investigator

Dr. Stephane Guimont Marceau, Institut national de la recherche scientifique 

Co-investigator

Dr. Roberta Rice, University of Calgary

Co-investigator

Lizbeth Hernandez Cruz, CONAMI
Grecia Mariel Gutierrez, Casa de la Mujer, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Yucatan
Patricia Torres Sandoval, CONAMI
Norma Don Juan, CONAMI

Collaborators

CONAMI Academic Advisors
Norma Don Juan
Lizbeth Hernández 
Patricia Torres Sandoval
Laura Hernández
Grecia Mariel 

IWAVTF Research Advisory Committee

Betty Angeconeb
Eva Dabutch
Barb Day
Sue Chiblow
Lauren Doxtator
Amber Jones
Samantha Kyle
Patti Lesage
Michelle Sayers
Jennifer Syrette

Our project network

Algoma University
Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social (CIESAS)
The Canadian Association for Latin American and Caribbean Studies 
Institut national de la recherche scientifique
Enlace Continental de Mujeres Indigenas de las Americas (ECMIA)
Mujeres Volviendo Juntas a la Raiz
University of Guelph
University of Calgary
Batchewana First Nation
Garden River First Nation
Missanabie-Cree First Nation
NORDIK Institute