Violence Against Aboriginal Women

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How is the rate of violence against Aboriginal women affected by the social aspects of the victim’s life? Introduction Violence against Aboriginal women has been an issue for decades. The prevalence of this problem is a growing concern in today’s society. Aboriginal women have a 306% greater chance of experiencing any form of violence than non-Aboriginals (Brownridge 2003, 77). Aboriginal is in reference to “original or earliest known; native; indigenous” (Aboriginal). Violence can be defined as “the use of physical force to harm someone, to damage property, etc.” (Violence). There are many different roles that individuals assume when an act of violence is committed. There is the role of the perpetrator(s), victim(s) and the witness(s).…show more content…
One being the abuse of alcohol by the partner. Abundant alcohol consumption by male partner has been linked to increased risk of violence towards women (Brownridge 2003, 75). For every incidence when a female’s partner consumed alcohol the chances of Aboriginal women being abused increased by 17% whereas is was 11% for non-Aboriginal women (Brownridge 2003, 75). To put this into context, three-quarters of Aboriginal women who had been placed in women’s shelters were admitted after a violent event in which the abusive partner had been drinking prior to the incident (Brownridge 2008, 356). Therefore the prevalence of alcohol is a major concern when looking at social aspects of the relationship that play a role in violence against Aboriginal women. Colonialism has been said to cause violence against Aboriginal women to escalate. The maltreatment experienced by Aboriginal men within a patriarchal dominant society can result in them releasing their frustrations in a violent manner against their intimate partners (Brownridge 2008, 356). Patriarchal dominance does not necessarily mean they always react with physical violence. Many Aboriginal women are also denied access to the family income (Brownridge, 2008, 359). This was a big change as Aboriginal women had once found themselves in positions of power and influence…show more content…
These same aspects may also affect the continuation of violent treatment. Family size has been positively linked to violence among families (Brownridge 2003, 69). That being said, the birth rate for Aboriginal women is higher than that of non-Aboriginal women (Brownridge 2008, 356). For both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women, for each child they have it not only increases the chances of experiencing violence, the chances of this happening are much higher for Aboriginal women (Brownridge 2003, 75). It is evident that family size specifically can trigger more violent encounters in general for all women in Canada. The severity of this is imminent, especially among Aboriginal

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