Mapping Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls: Beyond Colonizing Data and Mapping Practices

This article focuses on how pointing out and mapping violence against Indigenous people itself may contribute to ongoing violence, through what the author calls "data terrorism". The author considers initiatives that gather data on gender violence against Indigenous women and girls. The author argues that this approach is problematic because it stems from colonial ideas about controlling Indigenous women's bodies and using data as surveillance tool. These practices work to reinforce settler colonial power, terrorize Indigenous women, and contribute to ongoing violence against them. The author suggests that a better approach would involve Indigenous people having control over their own data, such that they play a central role in designing more effective solutions to address gender violence.