Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Crisis: Technological Dimensions

Abstract

This article considers how digital technologies are informed by, and implicated in, the systematic and interlocking oppressions of colonialism, misogyny, and racism, all of which have been identified as root causes of the missing and murdered Indigenous women crisis in Canada. The authors consider how technology can facilitate multiple forms of violence against women—including stalking and intimate partner violence, human trafficking, pornography and child abuse images, and online hate and harassment—and note instances where Indigenous women and girls may be particularly vulnerable. The authors also explore some of the complexities related to police use of technology for investigatory purposes, touching on police use of social media and DNA technology. Without simplistically blaming technology, the authors argue that technology interacts with multiple factors in the complex historical, socio-cultural environment that incubates the national crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The article concludes with related questions that may be considered at the impending national inquiry.

Human trafficking as a racialized economy and the exploitation of indigenous socio-spatial (im)mobility in North America

“…Young indigenous women who are homeless or lack stable family relationships and support networks are particularly vulnerable as they are more easily lured into isolation and made dependent on their captors (International Human Rights Clinic, 2014). In fact, following Bailey and Shayan (2006), increasing prevalence of communication technology, i.e., social media, has only enhanced (virtual) access to the reservation, and this vulnerable population group, by predators/traffickers. In short, the work of taking captive susceptible victims can begin remotely to gain trust in advance of physically arriving on the reservation or, ideally, persuading victims to willingly (and unwittingly) participate in their own abduction .…”

“…56% of these women experienced sexual violence in particular, and 66% of them had experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner (National Institute of Justice, 2016). Indeed, while sex traffickers and predators are a major part of this phenomenon, indigenous women are frequently subjected to violence (psychological as well as physical) from their own intimate partners (in some cases traffickers lure women into the industry by becoming intimate partners as an initial strategy) (Bailey and Shayan, 2006;Burnette and Hefflinger, 2016). The National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center has alarmingly reported that "American Indians and Alaska Natives are 2.5 times as likely to experience violent crimes-and at least 2 times more likely to experience rape or sexual assault crimes-compared to all other races" (NCAI Policy Research Center, 2013) .…”

Understanding the ways missing and murdered Indigenous women are framed and handled by social media users

“…Traditional mainstream media (in particular, newspapers) have often been a powerful force for perpetuating biases and stereotypes about Indigenous peoples. Many researchers note that typically, traditional mainstream media has framed Indigenous issues in a subjugated and paternalistic manner that operates to reinforce negative stereotypes of Indigenous peoples in Canada (Bailey and Shayan, 2016; Harding, 2005; Strega et al, 2014). This hegemonic negative framing of Indigenous issues enables cyclical misconceptions to be sustained.…”

“…In this example, the media played a role in perpetuating a racialized and gendered bias with readers against MMIW. Similarly, studies by Bailey and Shayan (2016) and Felt (2016) drew their data from SM users (anti-women websites/Twitter), which identified that subversive texts about Indigenous women perpetuate a racialized violent discourse. Sadly, given that many Indigenous peoples, including many youth, have cellphones and/or other technological devices (tablets/computers), they too are exposed to material that subjugate, vilify and dehumanize Indigenous women, some of who are their family and/or community members.…”

Fighting for our sisters: Community advocacy and action for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls

“…Indigenous women are 4.5 times more likely to be victims of violence than the general population (Saramo, 2016). Some technology even increases this risk to Indigenous women, as it has made stalking and intimate partner violence easier for abusers (Bailey & Shayan, 2016). Coloniality continues to rob the world of Indigenous lives and stories.…”