Missing and murdered indigenous women: Quebec report calls for more police training

A group representing First Nations women in Quebec says more needs to be done to ensure they stay safe.

In a report released Monday, the Quebec Native Women's Association lookedat the reasons indigenous women go missing in the province.

• Quebec aboriginal community 'touched' by launch of national inquiry
• Trudeaulays out plan for new relationship with indigenous people
• Enquteinvestigation into Vald'Ornow available in English

Alana Boileau, the group's co-ordinator, saidthoseinclude the legacy ofresidential schools, suicideand domestic violence.

"We need to be interested in indigenous women before they are missing or murdered," she said.

"And this includes the quality of services that are available to them, their relationship with the police in their communitiesand in urban areas."

The report says police officers need better training to work with indigenous women and understand their concerns.

It also says better social services are needed to help indigenous women deal with their problems.

For the report, the organization spoke with than 40 people, including indigenous women, their familiesand people who work with them.

The report comes ahead of the federal inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women.

It's expected to get underway this spring.