09/08/2021
INDIGENEITY, GENDER, VIOLENCE AND RECONCILIATION by Dr. Karla Williamson, University of Saskatchewan.
"The Arctic Human Development Reports (Einarsson et al., 2004; J. N. Larsen & Fondahl, 2015) outlined common features and trends across the Arctic, listing differences in areas of economic, political, and legal systems; human health and well-being; culture and identities; Indigenous Peoples; gender, education,and population patterns; and migration trends in the Arctic. The reports provided a comprehensive assessment of human well-being across the vast Arctic regions, highlighting common challenges and disparities, and paving the way for a comparative human analysis in the Arctic aimed at enhancing people's lives in the region. Violence is an issue that has not yet been covered in a comparative fashion for the Arctic.
This chapter addresses terminology related to gender, sexuality, and diversity. As much as possible, each topic describes the realities of various parts of the Arctic, using Inuit oral stories to tease out the binary perspectives on gender that for so long have been the foundation on which policies were developed by many states. The diversity of human sexuality is brought into light, and the evolving terminology reflecting existing variations of genders is introduced.
This section is followed by a discussion on violence against Indigeneity and truth and reconciliation processes. States have tended to view gender and violence through a binary lens, and prevention of gendered violence is often organised through policies that do not adequately consider diversity or context. Definitions of violence thus far lack consideration of violence against Indigenous Peoples. Worldviews and value systems of Western states have encroached upon Indigenous worldviews and value systems through processes of colonisation. These processes have impacted most aspects of Indigenous lives, from the physical and material to the cultural and spiritual, reflected in the persistent inequalities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. Existing research indicates a connection between violence and socioeconomic inequalities. The linkage seems particularly evident when violent crimes are considered alongside factors such as income, social
conditions, and economic conditions"
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7rpqqr5nmixk516/Pan-Arctic_Report-GEA3-2021-IGVR.pd
