Introduction
Violence against Aboriginal women is one of most important negative phenomena in terms of Aboriginal Affairs in Canada. Despite the fact that significant number of initiatives was developed by Canadian legislatures at federal and provincial level to meet this challenge, the number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women continues to grow. Inquiries into the issues show sits strong relation to almost all negative phenomena, which are currently faced by Aboriginal people, including unemployment, problems in access to social services for those, leaving on-reserve, lack of awareness about women’s rights and continuing discrimination against Aboriginal people in Canadian society.
Despite the fact that the situation can seem to be hopeless for ones, considering only current state of the problem, I cannot help mentioning the fact that profound research into the issue and its being actively discussed in society means that it is coming to the surface and thus has the chance to be actively influenced upon by various groups of stakeholders, including non-governmental human rights organizations. For the purposes of this assignment we will analyze different views and theories, merely related to quantification of violence against women and consider the ways research is designed in terms of the topic under study.
Synthesis
There are many different ways to research into complex social issues, such as violence against Aboriginal women due to the fact that variety of methods can be employed, dependently on the aims of research. Before starting any type of research, it is worth concentrating on determining the sources of data, which will be reliable enough to provide a solid data basis for analysis and drawing conclusions. Therefore, research into types of data sources, which can be used to collect data, and discussing their credibility, needs to precede any type of research. In this regard I would like to comment on the work by H.Johnson (2005), which highlights advantages and challenges of using different types of sources in research on violence against women. Reliability of this source is called forth by the fact that it is developed on observations of the author, stemming from empirical experience of using different sources of data to develop research, regarding the state of violence against women. According to H.Johnson (2005), the basic data source for research on violence against women is prevalence survey, which allows to get the notion about the nature and extent of violence against women (p.225).
Similar idea, but formulated in more practice-related terms, can be found in the work by Pedersen, Malcoe and Pulkingham (2013), aimed at applying structural approach to single out and elaborate on inequalities, stemming from relations between Aborigines and non-Aborigines. In a result of their research these authors come to the conclusion that the roots of violence towards Aboriginal women are rooted in the relations in terms of community relations, namely the ones, which are referred by authors as “coercive control”, employed by ex-partners of Aboriginal women (p.1054). Going beyond the scope of personal relations between victims and offenders, authors suggest that it is necessary to consider violence against Aboriginal people against global inequalities, which characterize the relations between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in such important spheres as income, employment, education etc.
The idea of the need to use various sources of data to get the notion about some phenomenon, highlighted by H.Johnson (2005), also finds its reflection in Juristat article on measuring violence against women in Canada by M.Sinha (2013). The article presents a well-composed overview of indicators, which are used to assess prevalence and severity of violence against women, risk factors, which are to be associated with violence against women, the impact of violence against women on different aspects of life within society, as well as societal responses to the issue (p.6). This work is useful for future researchers to get to know the indicators, which have already been used to measure violence against women and tackle different dimensions of the issue, thus farming his/her future research with the help of existing framework, correcting them, dependently on aims of future research.
As we have already mentioned above, quantitative data is very important to get the notion about the scale of the issue under study and understand its dynamics. Despite seeming simplicity, quantitative data collection on sensitive topics is quite a complicated process, associated with various ethical concerns, which are brightly highlighted by H.Johnson and F. Sacco (1995). Getting knowledge and developing sensitivity to the issue are necessary for interviewers to develop relations, built on trust between themselves and interviewees, so that more quality can be added to the research (p.288).
Using comparative methods in research is the one, which allows to actively use critical thinking and distinguish links between events. For instance, the results of comparative research of two surveys by D.A.Brownridge (2008) helped him highlight the link between elevated risk of victimization of Aboriginal women by intimate partners and previous colonization experience of Aboriginal people (p.367). Despite the fact that the author says such link may exist, his research is most theory-based now, and, therefore, its results do not seem to be practically applicable to creating the legislative framework and elaborating on the action plan regarding tackling the risk of Aboriginal women being victimized by their intimate partners.
Conclusion
It is hard to distinguish the article, which was most informative about the different ways the researchers look at the topic under study. I think, that the research, edited by M.Sinha (2013) contains the fullest set of dimensions, which can be used to look at the issue of violence against women as it encompasses not only the phenomenon of violence and responses, which are being developed to oppose it, but the impact of the issue on society and risk markers. These data present valuable source for lawmaking, as well as developing NGO-based anti-violence plans. Possible terms of studying the topic (interpersonal and society-based ones) are most interestingly described in the research work by Pedersen, Malcoe and Pulkingham (2013). Universal advice, which I can provide authors with, is to pay more attention to the chances to combine qualitative and quantitative research methods, so that deeper insight can be got into history of offences, and links to global social problems can be found out not against the background of theory, but in practical terms.
If I was to develop research on violence against Aboriginal women, I would like to concentrate on the victimization-related aspect of the issue, namely creating general profile of a victim with a special emphasis on researching into character traits and history of relations with an offender. Both qualitative and quantitative data are to be used to pursue this aim. Results of the research will be able to be used in creating prevention programs, aiming at reducing concrete risk factors. Elements of this prevention should be introduced into school curriculum so that girls get aware about the issue before their character is fully formed.
References
Brownridge, D.A. (2008). Understanding the elevated risk of partner violence against Aboriginal women: a comparison of two nationally representative surveys of Canada. Journal of Family Violence, 23, pp.353-367
Johnson, H.(2005).Assessing the prevalence of violence against women in Canada. Statistical Journal of the United Nations,22, pp.225-238
Johnson, H., Sacco,V.F.(1995). Researching violence against women. Canadian Journal of Criminology, July 1995, pp.284-304
Pedersen, J.S., Malcoe, L.H., Pulkingham, J. (2013). Explaining Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal inequalities in postseparation violence against Canadian women: application of a structural violence approach. Retrieved 25 November 2013 from vaw.sagepub.com
Sinha, M.(ed.). (2013). Measuring violence against women. Juristat Articles, 25 February, 2013, pp.
