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Montréal Memorial March to Honour the Lives of Missing and Murdered Women
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Annual Memorial March Thursday, February 14th, 2014 , 6PM, Parc Émilie-Gamelin, Métro Berri-UQÀM
MONTRÉAL - The first women's memorial march was held in 1991 in response to the murder of a First Nations Coast Salish woman on Powell Street in Vancouver. Marches of this kind are occurring from coast to coast across the country on February 14th to denounce violence against women. While these marches are in honour of women from all backgrounds, there is a needed focus on Indigenous women and girls.
Government statistics assert that Indigenous women in Canada are five times more likely than other women to die as the result of violence. The Native Women's Association of Canada has documented the disappearances and murders of nearly 600 Indigenous women and girls since roughly the 1980s, while a new Ottawa-based database recently pegged the number at 824, and Indigenous activists and allies believe the number to be as high as 3000.
Despite continued pressure from the United Nations and many activist groups, the federal budget revealed this past week shows no real signs of government response. The Aboriginal People's Television Network reports that "It's clear from the budget document that the Harper government has chosen not to dedicate any funds to specifically solve unsolved missing and murdered Indigenous women cases. Instead, they have decided to lump those cases into broader efforts to deal with missing persons in general."
Missing Justice activist and Promotions Coordinator at the Centre for Gender Advocacy Maya Rolbin-Ghanie urges us to recognize the connections between "the targeting of Muslim women under the proposed Quebec Charter of Values; the racial profiling of youth of colour by the Montreal police, [and] the alarming and still growing number of missing and murdered Native women and girls and the failure
of the government to take action".
This well-attended annual march contributes to public presence and consciousness raising. Speakers include Bridget Tolley, founder of Families of Sisters in Spirit, Viviane Michel, president of Quebec Native Women, and Robyn Maynard from STELLA among others.
"Despite the stereotype from mainstream media outlets of Indigenous women and communities being victims only, Women's Memorial Marches are a concrete example of what we have been doing and continue to do about stopping and preventing violence," says a representative of the Native Youth Sexual Health Clinic.
Media Contacts:
Monica van Shaik, Missing Justice: 514-746-3959
Bridget Tolley, Families of Sisters in Spirit: 819-441-4536
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