Missing Murdered and Indigenous Women, Girls, & Two-Spirited
The Red Dress Project - Jaime Black
The REDress Project focuses around the issue of missing or murdered Aboriginal women across Canada. It is an installation art project based on an aesthetic response to this critical national issue. The project has been installed in public spaces throughout Canada and the United States as a visual reminder of the staggering number of women who are no longer with us. Through the installation Jaime hopes to draw attention to the gendered and racialized nature of violent crimes against Aboriginal women and to evoke a presence through the marking of absence.
The Moose Hide Campaign began as a BC-born Indigenous-led grassroots movement to engage men and boys in ending violence towards women and children. It has since grown into a nationwide movement of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians from local communities, First Nations, governments, schools, colleges/universities, police forces and many other organizations – all committed to taking action to end this violence.
Missing and Murdered: The Unsolved Cases of Indigenous Women and Girls
CBC News looked into 34 cases across Canada which involve the death or disappearance of Indigenous women, but which authorities say were not due to foul play. In every case, families of the women say they do not accept the findings of police. They suggest murder may be involved. CBC News found evidence in many of the cases that points to suspicious circumstances, unexplained bruises and other factors that suggest further investigation is warranted. Many advocates for missing and murdered Indigenous women say these are exactly the kinds of cases requiring further scrutiny in a national inquiry. This page was last updated on September 26, 2018 and is no longer being maintained.
I am here today to bring continued awareness to “Why We Wear Red?” Today we wear red to recognize the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Transgendered, and Two-Spirited.
Today we wear red:
- to raise awareness for our indigenous relatives
- to call attention to the invisible and the silenced
- to welcome the spirit of those who are lost; to allow them to be felt, heard, and not forgotten
- to call attention to the disproportionate rate of violence against indigenous people
- to call attention to indigenous women like me
* who is 3X more likely to be a victim of violence
* who is 12X more likely to become a victim of homicide
- for the 11% of missing women in Canada
- because violence against indigenous people is systemic and a national crisis
- to eventually lead to collaborative action and change.
Today we wear red so Indigenous women like me will be remembered.
Noelani Avveduti
Lunch time address 2022
MMIWG2S+
MMIWGS2S - UBC
Their Voices will Guide Us - Student and Youth Engagement Guide
The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls
The National Inquiry’s Final Report reveals that persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. The two volume report calls for transformative legal and social changes to resolve the crisis that has devastated Indigenous communities across the country.
From 1989 to 2006 nine young women went missing or were found murdered along the 724 kilometre length of highway 16 – now commonly referred to as the Highway of Tears. All but one of these victims were Aboriginal women. There is still much debate over the exact number of women who have gone missing in northern BC, but many people living in the north believe that the number exceeds 30. Under the CSFS Highway of Tears Initiative we do not share the same set of criteria for those on our highway of Tears “list”. We provide advocacy and support to all family members and friends that have lost a loved one to violence.
The Highway of Tears Governing Body was formed as a result of one of the Highway of Tears Symposium Report Recommendations and it provides direction and support to our work.