Aboriginal women are over-represented among murder victims in Canada and, alarmingly, their presence in those statistics is only growing, according to a report from the RCMP.
The report, called a “national operational overview on missing and murdered aboriginal women,” identified 1,181 missing and murdered aboriginal women between 1980 and 2012. The new figure outpaces previous numbers based on research conducted by aboriginal women’s organizations. Aboriginal women represent approximately 4.3 per cent of Canada’s female population, but on average 16 per cent of female homicide victims and 11.3 per cent of missing women over the period studied.
However, as the rate of female homicide victims has steadily decreased over the last 30 years, the rate for aboriginal women has remained steady. In 2012, aboriginal women represented 23 per cent of female homicide victims, compared to 8 per cent in 1984.
Of the 1,181 cases, 225 remain unsolved, including 105 missing persons cases and 120 homicides. The RCMP noted solve rates were roughly the same for aboriginal and non-aboriginal women at just under 90 per cent.