Columbia Valley Pioneer staff
May 5 marks an important day in Canada to honour and remember missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.
Red Dress Day is a “National Day of Awareness” of the violence perpetrated against these beloved individuals and the grief left behind.
Shuswap Band is hosting a special event this Friday, May 3 starting at 2 p.m. at Invermere Public Library. Members of the public are asked to wear anything red (ribbon skirt or shirt) in honour of these missing and murdered women. The event will include an honour song, drumming, and a memorial walk. A barbecue is planned at the Shuswap Band Health Centre (in the basement).
Kelli Paddon, BC Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, noted that Red Dress Day was inspired by Métis artist Jaime Black’s REDress Project; which symbolizes loss, grief and injustice over the murder and ongoing violence against Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse people in Canada.
“It serves as a steadfast reminder and a rallying point in communities across the country to end violence against Indigenous and gender-diverse people,” she pointed out.
Paddon said the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability recently released data on women killed in the country.
“Last year, we lost 184 women and girls to femicide. At least one in five were Indigenous women or girls. In many cases, they died at the hands of someone they knew.”
Paddon commends those who hold a red dress as a symbol of sorrow, outrage and action against this social atrocity.
“Ending this violence means confronting biases and stereotypes. It means speaking up when someone is being treated badly. It means offering help and support when someone is unsafe or is at risk.”
Paddon said the red dress also means taking leadership on solutions, including transition houses, safe homes for women and children facing violence, and funding for culturally responsive sexual assault services.
In response to the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Calls to Justice, the government implemented the “Path Forward” Community Fund to sponsor Indigenous-led, anti-violence projects that expand safety-planning capacity for communities.
“We have lost far too many women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse people to gender-based violence,” Paddon said.
If you are in immediate danger, or think someone else is, there are resources that can help. You can call 911. You can also call, email or text VictimLink BC through its toll-free 24/7 confidential, multilingual telephone service at 1-800-563-0808 or [email protected].
VictimLink’s staff are there to provide immediate crisis support and information and referral services.
