Global Courant 2023-05-06 04:32:35
Indigenous women, families and advocates are calling for swift action through the implementation of a Red Dress Alert system, an initiative to shed light on and take action against the ongoing violence against Indigenous women, girls and two-minded people.
A morning rally outside the office of Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino in Toronto was one of several events held Friday to mark National Day of Awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Minded People (also known as Red Dress Day).
The proposed alert system, often compared to Amber Alerts for missing children, would send emergency alerts to the public when an Indigenous woman, girl or two-spirited person goes missing.
Earlier this week, the House of Commons passed a motion calling on the federal government to declare continued violence against Indigenous women, girls and two minds a national emergency.
The motion, presented by Winnipeg Centre’s incoming Democratic MP Leah Gazan, also called for “immediate and substantial investment” in creating a Red Dress Alert system — which many advocates and grassroots organizations have long suggested.
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Nikki Komaksiutiksak, executive director of Tunngasugit, is calling for a national emergency over the number of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls. Komaksiutiksak says it’s been 22 years since her sister was killed “and it’s only getting worse.”
In the latest federal budget, the government committed $2.5 million over five years to convene and support the work of a roundtable of federal, state, territorial and indigenous representatives to explore a Red Dress Alert and other options. Proponents want the system introduced this year, with some taking the opportunity Friday to push for action.
The introduction of the measure “would help denormalize when an Indigenous woman or child goes missing,” said Corrina Gavan, a First Nations, Métis and Inuit committee member of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU), who attended the meeting outside the office from Mendicino. in support of Gazan’s motion.
She pointed to the success of the Amber Alert system in finding children and underlined that while Indigenous women make up about four percent of the country’s female population, they face violence against a disproportionately higher rate than non-Indigenous women.
Leah Gazan, NDP MP for Winnipeg Center, is seen at a press conference in Ottawa on Tuesday surrounded by relatives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-minded people. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
“Our message to (Mendicino) is to take this crisis seriously and implement the Red Dress Alert in a timely manner – not two to three years from now,” Gavan said. “We want action now.”
For Adam Murphy, a fellow CEIU member and representative of the FNMI commission, it was important to participate in the Red Dress Day rally given what he describes as a lackluster response from the federal government in response to the violence against Indigenous women until now.
“It’s a bleak day, a day filled with sadness and sadness. But it’s important that we stand our ground and make sure action is taken,” he said.
“Promises are promises, and action is where we need to go.”
“It is a gloomy day, one full of sadness and sorrow. But it’s important that we stand our ground and make sure action is taken,” said Adam Murphy, who took part in Friday’s rally in Toronto. (CBC)
Nikki Komaksiutiksak, executive director of Tunngasugit, a non-profit organization that supports Inuit life in Winnipeg, agreed that it is time to work with Indigenous leaders on tangible solutions.
‘Give us a voice’
“We know what the solutions are. Talk to us. Give us a voice. Listen to what we know will work and then maybe you’ll see this crisis ease,” she said on Thursday.
Not only would a Red Dress Alert system “be absolutely effective,” Komaksiutiksak noted that using it would ensure that everyone across the country really understands the emergency.
“Hopefully this will save a life. It’s one too many lives taken and if this system was there when my sister was killed, maybe she wouldn’t have been.”
A Red Dress Alert System would be “definitely effective,” said Nikki Komaksiutiksak, executive director of the Inuit support organization Tunngasugit in Winnipeg. (CBC)
The federal government still has a lot of work to do to respond to the calls for justice in the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls“Especially on a day like this when a lot of people are hurting,” Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller acknowledged after a Red Dress Day event in Ottawa on Friday.
“No one should be talking about any level of success until every Indigenous woman and child and LGBTQ person in this country is safe. We see the tragedy continue and we see discoveries and bodies almost daily.”
He noted that the government is working on better progress reporting on its responses to the calls for justice, pointed to investments made since the publication of the final report in 2019, and briefly mentioned new funding for Indigenous shelters.
“We are in a state of emergency,” Miller said. “But I think … this is a tragedy that needs more than a public policy response based on tragedy, because that leads to tragic consequences.”
With regard to murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls, “We are in a state of emergency,” Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller said after a Red Dress Day event in Ottawa on Friday. (CBC)
‘To say their names gives them their moment’
In New Brunswick, at a special ceremony hosted by First Nations storytellers at Saint John’s City Hall on Friday, event organizer Natasha Ward read out a selection of names of missing and murdered Indigenous women from communities across Canada.
“Speaking these names is important” because these women who get dumped – in dumpsters, in landfills… they are devalued. Saying their names gives them their moment, does not give them their justice, but only to be heard and seen,” said Ward after the solemn proceedings in the council chamber.
Natasha Ward, who moved to the Saint John region from the Metepenagiag First Nation two years ago, led a special ceremony at City Hall to commemorate Red Dress Day on Friday. (CBC)
According to Kateri Hibbert, who helped Ward organize the Saint John event, it is vital to educate councilors and members of the public about the ongoing violence against Indigenous women, girls and hermaphroditic people, and to support initiatives such as the Red Dress Alert. System.
“When we bring things forward, we can have more allies, more focus on the issues. And then we can start taking real tangible action,” Hibbert said.
Indigenous women are written off by many people and not viewed in the same light as non-Indigenous women, said Bianca Jacobs, a parent who took her children to the rally in Toronto.
Bianca Jacobs, a parent who took her kids to the rally in Toronto, says having a Red Dress Alert system “shows we’re not just someone to be thrown out.” We don’t belong on the dump.’ (CBC)
“As Indigenous people, we are here. We live, love and laugh just like everyone else. And like everyone else, we all need to be given security,” Jacobs said.
“Having a system like the Red Dress Alert will help (missing Indigenous women) get noticed faster. And it shows that we’re not just someone to be thrown out. We don’t belong in dumps. We belong in dumps. We belong in our people and our families.”
If you or someone you know needs immediate emotional help, call 1-844-413-6649. This is a national, toll-free 24/7 crisis hotline that provides support to anyone in need of emotional help related to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. You can also access long-term health support services through Indigenous Services Canada, such as mental health counseling and community-based cultural services.
