ORIGINS OF LATERAL VIOLENCE IN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES

ORIGINS OF L ATER AL VIOLENCE IN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES

A preliminary study of student-to-student abuse in residential schools

Aboriginal Healing Foundation

ORIGINS OF LATERAL VIOLENCE IN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES

A Preliminary Study of Student-to-Student Abuse in Residential Schools

Report for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation By Amy Bombay With Kim Matheson and Hymie Anisman

2014

? 2014 Aboriginal Healing Foundation

Published by: The Aboriginal Healing Foundation 275 Slater Street, Suite 900, Ottawa, ON K1P 5H9 Telephone: 1-613-237-4441 / Fax: 1-613-237-4442 Website:

Design & Production: The Aboriginal Healing Foundation

Cover image from short film Savage (2009) by Lisa Jackson ()

Printed by: Hignell Book Printing, Winnipeg, MB

Print version: ISBN 978-1-77215-001-8 Electronic version: ISBN 978-1-77215-002-5

Unauthorized use of the name "Aboriginal Healing Foundation" and of the Foundation's logo is prohibited. Non-commercial reproduction of this document is, however, encouraged. This project was funded by the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, but the views expressed in this report are the personal views of the author(s).

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

vii

PREFACE

x

DEFINITIONS

2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

4

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

10

Historical Background: Colonization and the Indian

Residential School System

10

Project Background: Current Existing Knowledge and

Impetus for the Exploration of Student-to-Student Abuse

15

Research Objectives and Methodology

18

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW EXPLORING ISSUES

RELEVANT TO STUDENT-TO-STUDENT ABUSE IN

RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS

26

Adverse Early Life Experiences and Negative

Childhood Outcomes

26

Childhood Victimization Perpetrated by Adults versus Peers 37

Contextual Factors Promoting Student-to-Student Abuse

39

Early Life Adversity, Aggression, and Long-Term Outcomes 47

CHAPTER 3: PREVALENCE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF

STUDENT-TO-STUDENT ABUSE

52

Disclosure of Abuse by Staff and Students and Perpetration

Against Others

52

Disclosure of Abuse by Staff versus Students

53

Characteristics of Student-to-Student Abuse

55

Discussion

58

CHAPTER 4: FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO

STUDENT-TO-STUDENT ABUSE

60

Traumatic Reactions, Modelling, and the Normalization

of Abuse

60

Experiences of Abuse and Trauma Prior to Residential

School (intergenerational trauma)

62

Perpetrators were Taught/Encouraged by Staff

63

Lack of Protective Factors in Residential School

64

Anger, Frustration, and the Need to Feel Power/Control

68

Discussion

69

CHAPTER 5: EFFECTS OF BEING ABUSED BY STAFF VERSUS

OTHER STUDENTS

72

Emotional Responses

72

Memories of Abuse and Willingness to Disclose

Abuse Experiences

78

Impact of Student-to-Student Abuse on Trust and Social

Relationships

83

Effects on Identity

85

Effects on General Well-Being

86

Discussion

89

CHAPTER 6: EFFECTS ON SURVIVORS WHO WERE PERPETRATORS OF STUDENT-TO-STUDENT ABUSE 96

Normalization of Abuse

96

Guilt and Shame

97

Continued Perpetration of Abuse

99

Anger and Frustration

99

Issues with Power and Control

100

Disclosure of Abuse Experiences and Perpetration

100

General Well-Being

102

Discussion

103

CHAPTER 7: COLLECTIVE EFFECTS OF STUDENT-TO-STUDENT

ABUSE ON ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES

108

Community Violence and Child Abuse

108

Community Relationships

112

Silence Regarding Residential School Experiences,

Contemporary Violence, and Abuse within Communities 116

Effects on Leadership in Communities

120

General Community Well-Being

122

Discussion

126

CHAPTER 8: CURRENT GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY

RESPONSES

132

Discussion

139

CHAPTER 9: GENERAL DISCUSSION

144

Limitations and Future Directions

147

Conclusions

150

REFERENCES

152

APPENDIX A

190

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Mean Number of Comorbid Outcomes

28

Figure 2: Domains of Impairment Observed in Children

Exposed to Complex Trauma

30

Figure 3: Proportion of First Nations Adults Living On-Reserve

Who Attended Residential School and Who Perceived

Being Negatively Affected by a Number of Childhood

Adversities

32

Figure 4: Contributing Factors and Effects of Student-to-student

Abuse within Residential Schools

145

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Estimates of the Proportion (%) of Clients Who

Disclosed Being Abused by Staff and Students and

the Ratio between these Estimates

54

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors of this report are grateful to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation and its Board of Directors for inviting us to help advance current knowledge regarding the legacy of the residential school system in Canada. In particular, we would like to thank Garnet Angeconeb, one of AHF's Board members, for his guidance and direction at the beginning phase of this project and for having the courage to express his views regarding the importance of acknowledging the issue of student-to-student abuse and its long-term outcomes. We would also like to thank all of the individuals who participated at the meeting held by the AHF in January 2012 to discuss this issue, as the views and comments shared also provided us guidance in developing our research objectives and strategy. As well, the peer reviews provided by Dr. Michael Seto and Dr. Grant Charles were extremely helpful in making our final revisions.

We are also grateful to the service providers who participated in this study, and we acknowledge their important and difficult work to help residential school Survivors and their loved ones on their healing journey. Despite their busy and tiring schedules, these individuals took the time to share their experiences, observations, and views with us, which was obviously critical to the success of this report. We also acknowledge all Aboriginal peoples who have suffered as a result of the residential school system and sincerely hope that the results of this project will help advance healing among Aboriginal peoples in Canada and, in turn, promote understanding of this complex issue.We also hope that this report will help non-Aboriginal peoples in Canada understand the complex and deep-rooted negative effects caused by the residential school system and of other harmful government policies.

vii

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download