Report’s findings of violence against Métis kids in care troubles advocate

The findings of an investigation into critical injuries and deaths among Métis youth are troubling, British Columbia’s children’s advocate says.

Jennifer Charlesworth’s report released Thursday analyzes data from 2015 to 2017 and shows sexualized violence is the most common type of injury among female children and youth.

All of those injuries reported occurred when the children were in care, the report said. Most of the children who were assaulted were between 14 and 18, it said.

The children and youth who experienced critical injuries were rarely placed with Métis families and were not connected with their culture, it said.

Caregivers and families help foster connectedness for Métis children and youth in care and these “valuable” connections help them engage with their culture and learn about their cultural identities, it said. “Historically, Métis children, youth and families, and their experiences, have been ‘rolled up’ in Indigenous data,” it said, adding this causes the children’s issues to go unaddressed.

Métis children and youth are overrepresented in care, the report said.

It examined 183 injuries that were reported for 117 Métis children and youth over the three years, with 95 of the injuries occurring while they were in government care.

Suicide attempts were the secondmost reported injury followed by caregiver mistreatment, the report said. “Four of the 17 deaths of Métis children and youth that were part of this review were completed suicides,” it said.

Mental-health concerns and neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism or learning disabilities, were evident for those in care who experienced critical injuries, it said. The children also showed symptoms of anxiety disorder and depression, with these being more prevalent in girls, it added.

Metis are constitutionally recognized as Aboriginal people — distinct from First Nations and Inuit, the report said.

“The Métis are descendants of early relationships between First Nations women and European fur traders.”

The goal of this project, it said was to use the data to better understand outcomes and common challenges for Métis children and youth who are in care, highlight areas for improvement and create a baseline of information.

The Ministry of Children and Family Development said the report will be “very useful” as it improves the child welfare system and works with communities, partners and the federal government.