Poverty is a continuous struggle for Aboriginal peoples on and off the reserves (Bennett, Blackstock, & De La Ronde, 2005). Pawlick (2004) suggests that Indigenous people living in Canadian cities are more than twice as likely to live in poverty compared with the urban non-Aboriginal population. Pawlick (2004) also gives details about when Aboriginal people moved from reserves to the urban cities, their normal fishing and hunting economy was hard to maintain. Not being able to adapt to our modern capitalist economy in major Canadian cities, the Indigenous people were left dependant on government support and programs. Families coming from these backgrounds are left in poverty and find the cycle hard to break. Statistics show that 50% of Aboriginal children live in this kind of poverty which makes them the poorest in Canada (Pawlick, 2004). Along with the issue of poverty come problems with education, health, housing, and an overall state of well-being. According to Taiakiake (n.d), Aboriginal youth are being portrayed as angry and inherently violent, prone to drug abuse, drunkenness, suicide, shootings, gang fights, assault and murder by the media; sadly, this issues arise from child welfare.
According to Bennett et al. (2005), the Chiefs and councils are in charge of where the money goes in the community. They decide which families or individuals get certain housing, job opportunities, and who else can be a part of the community's economic and social order. Children are too young to play any part in this decision making process, therefore their poverty circumstances are not to be blamed on themselves. Without a voice, kids have no choice but to accept the situation that they are in. It's no doubt that with this on-going struggle, Indigenous kids do not have an opportunity of living a stable life that other privileged kids have because poor children suffer more health problems and could die from third world conditions that are rare in non-Aboriginal Canadians (Bennett et al., 2005). Indigenous children are among the poorest in Canada, still suffering from "substandard housing conditions, unsafe drinking water, and inadequate sewage treatment" (Bennett et al., 2005, pp. 34). Being raised in this way, they have less of a chance of progressing positive change if there is no motivation. In my opinion, if given the right resources and environment, children can accelerate and make a very successful change in their lives and the lives surrounding them.
Suicide is a significant concern that continues to wander the minds of many adolescents in Canada. This issue has impacted many lives of Aboriginal teens, as survey shows that 64% of Indigenous youth know someone personally that has committed suicide or attempted it (Bennett et al., 2005). An example of how negatively poverty can affect the life of a child is discussed by Blackstock, C., Clouston Carlons,J., Fine, M., & Mandell, D. (2003). This document portrays kids living under child welfare. One aboriginal teen committed suicide in result of the harsh circumstances that child welfare situates them in. This teen was removed from his home because of extreme poverty (i.e. neglect). With the parents no longer able to give care to the child, the social worker placed the child in a foster home. The child circulated many homes. Seeing the condition he was in, he was assessed by a psychiatrist who made no recommendation for any type of treatment (Blackstock et al., 2003). In receiving this poor care from the child welfare system, the adolescent decided to take his life. It was later claimed that the social worker did not make an effort to contact extended family that could have taken care of the child before sending him off to a foster home. This adolescent is not alone, as 20% of Indigenous children in child welfare are considered to be suicidal (Blackstock et al., 2003). This statistic frightens me, as our economy continues to be unstable. For a child to even think about taking his/her life, I imagine the condition has to be extreme to the point that they cannot deal with it anymore. Kids should not have to be put through this state. Social workers need to make more effort to help the child's situation improve so that severe measures such as suicide do not have to be considered.
Taking the Indigenous perspective into consideration, they would most likely make a huge connection with colonization. The core of the problem would be the "white" social workers taking the Aboriginal children away from their own culture and families to put them in a white society. In a way, it is similar to the residential schools argument because Aboriginal kids that are taken away from their families are being put into the dominant society's race which habituates these children to the white customs. The children are being taken into the homes of strangers and expected to accommodate to the white culture- leaving their own familiar customs. In other words, colonization is taking place again when the kids are being put into white families. Even though the child welfare system is attempting to make children safe-in which some cases they are- they are also isolating these children from their home culture and assimilating them to the whiter society. This could negatively affect the kids because when they go back to their families, some can be completely transformed and may have relationship issues within their own families. In my opinion, some of the suicides could be related to the very issue that the child feels like they do not belong and may be confused. This is very sad to hear and the Indigenous perspective would not accept suicide as a solution. Indigenous perspectives see humans as inherently spiritual and essentially good, and would say that the child's spirituality was out of context seeing as they are being destructed spiritually in foster homes because they are not at their own familiar culture.
If social workers are taking Indigenous children and disconnecting them from their homes, families, and cultures, how is this helping end the colonization issue? (Taiaiake, n.d). A solution to this issue would be for the child welfare system to make a policy of priority. First, make sure that is it absolutely necessary for the child to leave the home; perhaps the problem can be helped working within the family so that nobody has to leave. Otherwise, make sure that there is no other family member/close family friend available to take care of the child. This would be the best solution as the child would still be in their own Indigenous culture and would not be seen as colonizing. Lastly, if all else fails in the worst cases look for another foster home. Social workers need to abide to these kinds of policies so that the life and future of the child is not in jeopardy of losing their natural customs and spirituality.
The above articles have some startling statistics that all Canadians should become more aware of. Child poverty is an awful state that is hard to get out of without external help. Kids do not know any better than what they have already been taught, so they should be getting the help that they deserve so that they will be able to triumph in the future. In order to do so, social workers must be properly trained in these specific areas so that they will be able to accommodate Indigenous people needs towards child poverty.
The above articles have some startling statistics that all Canadians should become more aware of. Child poverty is an awful state that is hard to get out of without external help. Kids do not know any better than what they have already been taught, so they should be getting the help that they deserve so that they will be able to triumph in the future. In order to do so, social workers must be properly trained in these specific areas so that they will be able to accommodate Indigenous people needs towards child poverty.
-Dora
References:
Bennett, M., Blackstock, C., & De La Rhonde, R. (2005). A Literature Review and Annotated Bibliography on Aspects of Aboriginal Child Welfare in Canada (2nd ed.). Challenges to Aboriginal Child Welfare Agencies (pp. 32-47). Ottawa, ON: First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada.
Blackstock, C., Clouston Carlson, J., Fine, M., & Mandell, D. (2003). Partnerships for Children and Families Project: Aboriginal Child Welfare. Retrieved from http://www.wlu.ca/documents/7179/Aboriginal_child_welfare.pdf
Taiaiake, A. (n.d). Colonialism and racism: Canadian colonialism. Retrieved from http://www3.nfb.ca/enclasse/doclens/visau/index.php?mode=theme&language=english&theme=30662&film=16933&excerpt=612109&submode=about&expmode=1
Very touching post. It is so sad to know that there are children in today's society who are living in conditions such as these. The role of children is just that; to be children. It is sad to have all of this information about the horrible living standards they live in and how unhappy they are, and to know that there is not enough being done to prevent it. It's sad to see that after all the oppression and promises that have been made to native Canadians, that this is still being ignored.
ReplyDeleteLeah
A very eye-opening topic. I agree with most of what you've said, children should not feel so trapped that they view their only option out is to commit suicide. I think it's important to make the connection to the negative impact attempted assimilation and residential schools have had on families and how this is also affecting these children.
ReplyDeleteKirsten
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ReplyDeleteGood Research Dora! This is a very sad reality! These are bad living conditions they have to deal with. Children should not have to go through this and it is devistating that some commit suicide because of it! I agree that this is connected to the assimilation and residential schools as this is a factor that likely affects the situation. I agree with you that social workers working here need to be well trained in these areas to better help the children.
ReplyDeleteLori
Good post,
ReplyDeleteI think another issue of government funding needs to be looked at as well, in relation to child poverty issues. There is a strong connection between that and poverty on reserves, among other issues as well. (ie; alcohol or drug abuse).
First Nation communities only recieve so much $ from the feds. The issue of supply and demand needs to be taken into account, when looking at child poverty as a whole in Canada. But good post highlighting some of the issues, thanks for sharing.
Dara
I liked the connection you made to Social Work practice. Social workers need to be more aware of the unique circumstances of Aboriginal people and be sensitive to their needs.
ReplyDeleteI have worked with Aboriginal youth in the welfare system. Many felt anger because they were separated from their families and communities, and many felt that the social worker did not understand them and made false promises.
I agree that more training is needed.
Kim