Raising Indigenous girls

‘Instead of talking about shoes and cute boy bands, I have to warn them about slow moving cars and catcalls,’ says CBC Radio host Rosanna Deerchild

Rosanna Deerchild, host of CBC Radio’s Unreserved, has a few things to say about being an Indigenous woman, raising girls.

“As a parent, you always want to keep your children safe. You teach them to look both ways before crossing the street, you warn them about stranger danger and to always call if they need you no matter what, when or why,” she said.

“But what if the colour of their skin is what puts them in danger? That is the reality for indigenous women and girls in Canada.”

The statistics aren’t good. Indigenous women are four times more likely to experience violence than other women in Canada. Indigenous women are more likely to be the victim of exploitation and murder. The number of women who have gone missing or have been murdered continues to climb.

There’s no excuse for the fact that mothers have to teach their daughters about these very specific dangers, dangers only young Indigenous women face.

“For me, as an indigenous woman, that is a scary reality. As a mother with two young girls, it is a terrifying one,” Deerchild noted.

“Instead of talking about shoes and cute boy bands, I have to warn them about slow moving cars and catcalls. Instead of going to Girl Scouts I take my girls to another vigil to mark another death, walk in remembrance at another march and demand another call to action.”

Deerchild mentions the Sisters in Spirit vigils that take place every year on October 4.

Read more about the vigils and about Deerchild’s experience as a mother here.