Latest news with #MMIWG
CBC
2 days ago
- General
- CBC
Red Dress Alert program must be in place by May 2026, says report from organization leading project
Social Sharing All levels of government must act quickly to establish a notification system within the next year that would help find missing Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people in Manitoba, the organization spearheading the project says. A Red Dress Alert would prompt notifications to the public whenever an Indigenous woman, girl or two-spirit person goes missing, as an Amber Alert does now for missing children. Giganawenimaanaanig, the Manitoba committee implementing calls for justice from the national MMIWG inquiry, released an interim report on Tuesday detailing the development of the program, which started after Manitoba MP Leah Gazan put forth a motion in Parliament in 2023 to fund an alert system. Survivors and family members, along with leadership and representatives from First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities, attended 29 engagement sessions held as of January throughout the province, in both rural and urban communities, the report says. Participants in the engagement sessions stressed the "extreme urgency" of establishing an effective notification system, the report says, and Giganawenimaanaanig is now calling on all three levels of government to get the program running by May 2026 at the latest. "Every day that the Red Dress Alert is not implemented is a day that someone could go missing," project lead Denise Cook said at a Tuesday news conference. A public survey is currently being conducted for those who were unable to attend the engagement sessions, with over 1,000 responses received in the month of May alone, said Sandra DeLaronde, the chair of Giganawenimaanaanig. The program will differ from existing notification systems, since it will be guided by those families and communities, DeLaronde said. "This alert is really going to be built on their words," she said at the news conference. "When a Red Dress Alert saves a life, it's because of all the people who provided their ideas, thoughts and opinions on how this should be done in a good way." The alert system will also need a co-operative and co-ordinated effort across jurisdictions and agencies to keep tabs on youth who've run away from foster care, as well as those experiencing gender-based violence, housing insecurity and/or human trafficking, the report says. The next steps are to meet with those agencies, said Cook. Participants in the engagement sessions overwhelmingly said that they are "not being listened to, not being taken seriously, not being given the resources or the time that they need from those service providers that are there — that are supposed to be there but are not there," said Cook. "There are gaps, and we recognize that individuals and systems do not necessarily … perform in the way that they should be, but it's so significant in the Indigenous community," she said. "A lot of communities have been left to do what they can with what they have." The alert system's success will depend on all Manitobans, said Cook. Evacuees 'vulnerable and targeted' The program is also making considerations for people who go missing after travelling to an urban centre from a remote or northern community, and those who may be vulnerable after leaving a hospital or other institution that's far from their home, the report says. It's something that hits close to home, said DeLaronde, as thousands are currently evacuated from northern Manitoba communities due to wildfires. "People told us that when they were evacuated, they were in fact vulnerable and targeted" in larger urban centres, DeLaronde said. While planning for the alert system continues, DeLaronde said more patrols in and around hotels and evacuation sites, as well as a response line to call if someone goes missing, are ways to help keep those fleeing fires safe. At a separate news conference, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said her organization is looking at addressing safety concerns in spaces where displaced people are staying, and is working to bring in wraparound support for those forced from their homes. "We know that these sites are now a target for predators, for human traffickers, for drug dealers," she said. Participants said there's no single technique or technology for an alert system to reach everyone, but they'd want it to be more than just a way to distribute missing persons reports, which can desensitize the public with frequent use, the Giganawenimaanaanig interim report says. Clear criteria for the notification system must be widely publicized, participants said, and expectations of how police and other government agencies should respond to cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, must also be written into law to ensure accountability, it says. A final report on the Red Dress Alert program's engagement sessions, with recommendations, is expected to be released in October. Extreme urgency' for MMIWG alerts: report 1 hour ago Duration 2:03 The Manitoba team working on a provincewide Red Dress Alert system will meet with police, child welfare agencies and sports groups. The Red Dress Alert would prompt notifications to the public whenever an Indigenous woman, girl or two-spirit person goes missing, as an Amber Alert does now for missing children.
CBC
2 days ago
- General
- CBC
Red Dress Alert program must be put in place by May 2026: Giganawenimaanaanig
All levels of government must act quickly to establish a notification system by May 2026 that would help find missing Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people in Manitoba, the organization spearheading the project says. A Red Dress Alert would prompt notifications to the public whenever an Indigenous woman, girl or two-spirit person goes missing, as an Amber Alert does now for missing children. Giganawenimaanaanig, the Manitoba committee implementing calls for justice from the national MMIWG inquiry, released an interim report on Tuesday detailing the development thus far of the program, which started after Manitoba MP Leah Gazan put forth a motion in Parliament in 2023 to fund an alert system. Survivors, family members, leadership and representatives from First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities attended 29 engagement sessions held as of January throughout the province in northern, southern, rural and urban communities, the report says. The program will differ from pre-existing notification systems, since it will be guided by those families and communities, project lead Sandra Delaronde said. "This alert is really going to be built on their words," she said at a news conference on Tuesday. "When a Red Dress Alert saves a life, it's because of all the people who provided their ideas, thoughts and opinions on how this should be done in a good way." A public survey is currently being conducted for those who were unable to attend the engagement sessions, with over 1,000 responses received in the month of May alone, Delaronde said. Participants in the engagement sessions stressed the "extreme urgency" of establishing an effective notification system, the report says, and Giganawenimaanaanig now calls on all three levels of government to get the program running by May 2026 at the latest. Participants also said there's no single technique or technology for an alert system to reach everyone, but they'd want it to be more than just a way to distribute missing persons reports, which can desensitize the public with frequent use, the report says. Clear criteria for the notification system must be widely publicized, participants said, and expectations of how police and other government agencies should respond to cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls must also be written into law to ensure accountability, the report says. The alert system will also need a co-operative and co-ordinated effort across jurisdictions and between agencies to keep tabs on youth who've run away from foster care, as well as those experiencing gender-based violence, housing insecurity and/or human trafficking, the report says.
CBC
11-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Ann's Eye: Honouring Red Dress Day at Killarney Lake
The Under One Sky Friendship Centre in Fredericton organized a memorial walk at Killarney Lake for Red Dress Day, a national day of remembrance and awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.
CBC
06-05-2025
- CBC
Red Dress Day needs to go beyond just one day, say advocates in N.L.
Events this week across Newfoundland and Labrador are marking Red Dress Day, but advocates say discussion and education need to happen every day. Red Dress Day, officially marked on Monday, is a national day of remembrance and awareness for missing and murdered, Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit People. The Assembly of First Nations says Indigenous women make up 16 per cent of women who are murdered in Canada, and 11 per cent of women who go missing. The day has been marked since 2010, when Métis artist Jamie Black coined the term by using red dresses to represent those who were lost. "Today is a hard day for our family, because it's a reminder of the challenges that we face as Indigenous people," Qalipu First Nation Chief Jenny Brake said during a gathering in Corner Brook on Monday. "It's a harsh reality." In St. John's, First Light is hosting events throughout the week, including drop-in support sessions for members of the community. WATCH | Dozens gathered to mark Red Dress Day in Corner Brook: Qalipu marks Red Dress Day with emotional ceremony 1 day ago Duration 2:46 Leah Randell, a cultural support worker with First Light, told CBC News that the day — and those before and after it — are challenging. She says it's important to ensure that conversations around missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and gender-based violence continue throughout the year, coming from a place of awareness, education and understanding. "We have to wrap around those supports as we fight for this to stop. We have to support our communities at the same time.… It's not just about putting a red dress up, it's about having the understanding," she said. "This day is about also reaching out for judicial and systematic change so this does not have to continue happening. And as it is happening, still happening, we have to support our Indigenous communities and be there for them." And although the day is challenging, Brake says it also highlights the important task of educating the community. "It's hard, and it's heavy, and it's sometimes even hard to get out of bed to go at this kind of stuff," Brake said. "When we show up and support one another and lift each other up, we end that cycle of trauma…. If we don't stand tall together, then we will fall apart." Quinn Jesso, an Indigenous member of the Bay of Islands 2SLGBTQ+ community, says conversations also have to include preserving the memories of those who have been lost. "There's a lot of people who aren't going home. And we need to remember those people. We need to have their hopes and dreams with us," Jesso said. "Because if they're not here to do it, we'll do it for them."
CBC
06-05-2025
- CBC
'Don't give up on yourself or your family': Yellowknife marks Red Dress Day with march for MMIWG2S+
Melissa Hardisty says there are three days each year that are difficult to bear: her daughter's birthday, the day her daughter died, and Red Dress Day. At a Red Dress Day gathering in Yellowknife on Monday to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, Hardisty, who is originally from Pehdzéh Kı̨ First Nation, spoke about the death of her 12-year-old daughter and urged parents to keep their kids close. Hardisty says she has PTSD from losing her daughter and that's made her shut out memories. She believes other parents who have lost children may be struggling with the same. "I'm just grateful that there are so many people here that want to listen to our story and want to know exactly what has happened so that we can protect our future generations, our young little girls." Hardisty asked marchers to think about who they are protecting and "why we're standing tall with each other so we can protect our girls." "We need to teach people — men —that they need to start respecting women from when they're that small, to the day they grow up and they're on their own," she said. She shared her prayers for the families of girls who are still missing. Sarah Gargan of Deh Gáh Got'ı̨ę First Nation said she marched on Monday "with a very heavy heart in memory of my granddaughter" who died last year in Edmonton, and her granddaughter's cousin who is missing. Gargan, who attended the march with her daughter, said her granddaughter's death is still unsolved. "I pray every night that justice will be served for my granddaughter," she said. "I think about my son and my sister-in-law that are going through a lot. They still haven't heard from the justice what actually happened," she said. Gargan said she walked in memory of her and all the women whose murders have not been solved. "My heart goes out to all the families .... that are still trying to find justice for their loved ones and they want some answers," she said. Gargan said as people marched from the N.W.T. Legislative Assembly building to the Northern United Place, sharing in food, telling stories and sitting side-by-side, it gave her some strength. "With the people surrounding you, that kind of gives you hope and strength because it's not easy being alone, especially when you're grieving," said Gargan. Gargan said there are resources for those who are struggling. "Don't give up on yourself or your family," she said. "There is help out there. Get as much help as you can because we need to strengthen ourselves, and start getting strong again as women .... especially young girls. We need to help them." Julie Thrasher attended the Yellowknife march because she has family who have gone missing or been murdered. "The awareness should never go away," she said, suggesting there should be monthly gatherings to support the families of missing loved ones and training for RCMP. Thrasher said she's speaking up for vulnerable people, and that when she was in danger herself, she felt she could not rely on the RCMP. "There's times where I myself have called upon RCMP for myself and was discriminated against, ended up in the hospital, gave up on calling them. The only people that could save me, I couldn't call because I didn't feel safe," she said.
