Over 200 people gathered in Williams Lake Monday, May 5 to speak up in the face of a disproportionate number of Indigenous people in Canada, particularly women and girls, facing violence, and to honour those affected.
The Red Dress Day event, organized by the Cariboo Friendship Society in partnership with the Tsilhqot'in National Government (TNG), opened with drumming and praying before giving the floor to those wanting to speak about their own experiences and their own loved ones who have gone missing or who have been murdered.
"We are as Indigenous women over represented in this system...our numbers are higher than the rest of the population," said Rosanna McGregor, executive director of the Cariboo Friendship Society.
"Eighty per cent of the cases at the transition house involve alcohol or drugs - abuse involves alcohol and drugs in most cases, so we have to deal with those systemic issues," she said.
The purpose of the gathering, and of the annual National Day for the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people (MMIWG2S), is to bring awareness to this reality, identify root causes and work towards solutions.
In Williams Lake, McGregor said housing plays a role.
"Providing a stable housing environment is a part of this process," she said. Chiwid House helps provide a safe place for women in Williams Lake, but to then make a plan for what comes next is difficult.
"There's a whole variety of issues why women go back to their abuser and one of those main ones is there is a lack of housing, there is no choice for them," she said.
Housing is only one part of the problem, McGregor added. Addictions and mental health have to be addressed too, and she's been lobbying to ministries involved with justice, housing and social development to help work towards change.
"All of those ministries, we want to ensure they know we are asking for awareness and to be doing something proactive about this particular issue," she said.
In an ideal world, Williams Lake would have lots of complex care housing so that each person is assigned a physician and psychiatrist to help assess an individual's needs and work on a follow-through plan.
"But you also have to recognize people want to be ready to make a change, we can't force them...they have to be ready to stop doing the drugs," she said.
According to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls which concluded in 2019, the crisis arises from the abuse of human rights and Indigenous rights, resulting in the denial of safety, security and human dignity.
The inquiry has laid out calls to justice which Canada has a legal obligation to fulfill, including the recognition that health and wellness services must be designed and delivered by Indigenous Peoples as well as the government's obligation to provide necessary resources to revitalize Indigenous-led services.
"These Calls for Justice represent important ways to end the genocide and to transform systemic and societal values that have worked to maintain colonial violence," writes the inquiry in its report. Learn about the key milestones in the inquiry process on their website.
McGregor thanked TNG for their partnership and for the Tŝilhqot'in Women's Council's involvement. She also thanked Williams Lake First Nation for providing cultural support during the event.
The following services are available at all times:
Hope for Wellness Help Line (Indigenous centered): 1-855-242-3310
Crisis Services Canada: (Canada-wide) 9-8-8
National Family and Survivors Circle: 1-844-413-6649
