Attitudes of disposability towards MMIWG on the highway of tears : a CPTED study

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls has been a common topic in the media for the past few decades, and the Canadian government and Canadian people are beginning to recognize, realise and uncover the truths behind the continuing epidemic of Indigenous women identifying and LGBTQ2+ being victimised and murdered all over the country. As the cause is gaining attention, it is important to take the time to understand why thousands of Indigenous Women and Girls have gone missing or have been found murdered with little to no attention from police, society, or the media. This project connects the relationship between “disposability” and “MMIWG”, and then implements the relation onto the case study of the Highway of Tears, using CPTED to provide a concrete direction of application for future use. The research is found by using a semi-systematic literature review and case study approach using online journal tools and examining the contents for similar relationships and findings. A clear equation can be formulated to understand how MMIWG has grown exponentially with little knowledge to the greater public. Society finds certain behaviours as “risky”, and these behaviours come with predetermined consequences that are accepted as a punishment. Therefore, if Indigenous women partake in societally deemed “risky” behaviours, and if they face violence, it is deemed as an acceptable punishment, therefore when it is taken to the police there is less help provided due to the preconceived notions that the violence is the result of the “risky” behaviours, versus the Indigenous women being a target of violence. This project utilises a CPTED study on the Highway of Tears in order to create recommendations to make the space safer. The results found that there was a lack of defensible space, light and the environment inhibits communities to be key agents in their own safety, which speaks to the rates of MMIWG on the highway. Keywords: MMIWG, Highway of Tears, Disposability, CPTED.