Annual vigil for MMIWG to be held in locations across Canada
- EFN Staff | October 03, 2016
Once again Iskwewuk E-wichiwitochik (Women Walking Together) will host the Sisters in Spirit Walk and Vigil in Saskatoon.
The event will be held on Tuesday, October 4th, 2015, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at White Buffalo Youth Lodge, 602 – 20th Street West.
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October 4th is the day when people in Canada honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. It is also a time to offer support to families who have been tragically touched by the loss of a loved one to violence. There are currently 90 and counting Sisters in Spirit Vigils registered in Canada for October 4th, 2016.
First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples as well as many other concerned Canadians are rising up and embracing their own calls for change so that violence against Indigenous women and girls will stop.
Over the years, the October Sisters in Spirit vigils have become a movement for social change and a reminder that our sisters will not be forgotten. The families are the reason why these vigils continue. They are the reason why people gather to demand action. It is an honour to walk beside them on this journey.
In 2015, the Canadian government responded to our calls and established a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. However, our work is not done. Throughout the inquiry process we must let Indigenous women and families know that people across this country—Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike—are standing in solidarity with them.
"We are concerned that Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people continue to experience violence, go missing, and are murdered, far more than other women and girls in Canada," says Iskwewuk E-wichiwitochik. "We hope that the public inquiry on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls will concretely address this national tragedy.
"We must monitor so that the inquiry really addresses these concerns in a way that is true to the experience of the families who have lost their loved ones."
The walk is a demonstration of solidarity and will be followed by a program including speakers from the community, representatives of the families of the missing and murdered Indigenous women and drummers and singers. A lunch of soup and bannock will be served.
This event is hosted by Iskwewuk E-wichiwitochik with support from Bitternose Law - Saskatoon SK, Saskatchewan Status of Women, the LaPlante Family and Amnesty International Group 33.