The Murder of Pamela George & Finding Dawn

      During my CSL placement the main trial I observed involved a an Indigenous women and her life-long struggle on the streets of down-town Edmonton. Jane Doe grew up with her very large family far away from Edmonton. At a very young age she was responsible for providing for her entire family after an accident resulted in her father's passing. Jane's mother was very ill and therefore could not help at all with the bills. Jane became the rock in the family in her teens, and this greatly effected her life from then on. 

      Jane became involved with a man and they moved to Edmonton together. Jane was looking forward to living in the city of opportunities. They went to live with Jane's boyfriends' two male friends. Little did she know this would mark the beginning of the greatest struggle of her life. Almost immediately after moving in Jane was forced out onto the streets to make money for her boyfriend and his two friends. She was forced to work every day in little to no clothing in the middle of winter. They would not even drive her to the street she was working, they would make her take the bus. In addition to this the three men participated in raping, beating, and threatening Jane. 

     This is a near identical case just like the women in Finding Dawn and in the murder of Pamela George. It is sad to listen to  people say that feminism is unnecessary when we still have so many issues to fight. Not only does the current rape culture support terrible acts upon women, the occurrences of extreme sexual assaults are recurring and ever prevalent. On February 13th  2013 a British Columbia report found that an alarming amount of Aboriginal women had experienced mistreatment from the B.C. RCMP. In the study two reporters travelled the Highway of Tears and heard aboriginal women's stories of being abused by RCMP and in a couple cases being the victims of gang rape by four mounties. 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/rcmp-accused-of-rape-in-report-on-b-c-aboriginal-women-1.1305824

      This is why I get so angry when people tell me there is no need for feminism. No matter what the culture women are being abused worldwide in alarming numbers. However even in 2013 people dare to say that women are treated fairly and equally in Canada. How can anyone turn a blind eye to the unfair and unequal treatment of women. You would have to consciously avoid newspapers, the news, and all media to not see how women are being treated in the world. I cannot imagine the struggles that many Aboriginal women face daily and to be subjugated by the very institutions sworn to protect them... where do they turn.... who is there to protect them?