May 5th is Red Dress Day; A day to raise awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous woman and girls in Canada. This awareness is very real for the staff of ISN Maskwa. Some of us have been directly involved in the investigations and prosecutions of offenders who preyed upon our Indigenous woman and girls. Some of our members are still active in investigations involving missing and murdered woman from Indigenous communities across Canada.
Almost every one of the members of ISN Maskwa has been affected by this tragedy, either directly or indirectly, through our relations or in our communities. Collectively, we want to raise awareness for all Canadians. The fact that the awareness even needs to be raised is disheartening. But as we have seen in the past year, even provincial governments do not realize the extent of the pain they cause by refusing to recover the missing Indigenous women in the Prairie Green Landfill in Winnipeg. The decision not to search was disheartening even though there is a high degree of certainty of recovery.
This is a glaring example; but there are hundreds, if not thousands, of outstanding missing Indigenous women and girls at any given time in Canada. Everyone of them has relations; communities acutely aware of their absence and wanting answers as to their whereabouts.
Red Dress Day is important for so many reasons. Awareness and knowledge are just the first steps in bringing our women and girls’ home. Even our governments need to be reminded that they cannot be remiss in their responsibilities and obligations to our woman and girls and to their Nations.
Red Dress Day is a poignant day for all First Nations people and it should resonate with all Canadians who believe in equal justice. Everyone who has ever suffered a loss should be able to understand the frustration and angst of Indigenous people in Canada when it comes to the loss of our women and girls in our Nation. Red Dress Day is helping to overcome the stigmas and indifference of governments, police and the general public to the very real ongoing violence and exploitation of the women and girls in our Nations.
Our staff at ISN Maskwa are working to change things. The work is heartfelt and real. We are committed to keeping our women and girls safe and assisting in finding the missing. We advocate 365 days a year. Red Dress Day is the day for us to talk about what we know and have experienced. We acknowledge there is much work to still be done.
Written by ISN Maskwa Staff
