A Victoria march and memorial for missing and murdered indigenous women on Sunday aims to give families and advocates a chance to share stories and hope for change.
“The purpose is to remember but also to raise awareness and support families struggling to have justice,” said Nancy Kinyewakan, part of a collective organizing the eighth annual Stolen Sisters Memorial March.
Kinyewakan said the event is not a rally or protest. Attendees are asked not to carry placards, unless they are a tribute to someone being remembered, or to take photos without permission.
“We always try to keep it focused on being a memorial,” she said.
The march begins at 11 a.m. at Our Place on Pandora Avenue, led by indigenous female drummers and singers. From there it will proceed to the legislature lawn, where there will be prayers, speeches and an opportunity for victims’ family members to speak.
Kinyewakan said the memorial march could have a boost in numbers this year as it was promoted at the Women’s March on Jan. 21.
The issue of missing and murdered indigenous women has also been national news this past week as details of a national inquiry focused on systemic violence and inequality were outlined. The inquiry was announced more than a year ago, part of an election promise by the Trudeau government.
According to 2014 report by the RCMP, there were more than 1,181 reports of aboriginal women murdered or missing between 1980 and 2012. Of these, 225 cases were unsolved and 164 of the women were still considered missing.
While aboriginal women made up only 4.3 per cent of the female population in Canada, they represented 16 per cent of homicide victims and 11.3 per cent of missing women.
