MEDICINE HAT, AB – May 5th is the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
It’s a day to remember the lives of the victims, survivors, and their families.
The red dress is a symbol used to commemorate and raise awareness.
Community agencies are taking part including Medicine Hat Police and the Women’s Shelter by wearing a red dress pin.
The Medicine Hat Skateboard Association also took part. They dressed in red and skated from the Kinsmen Skate Plaza to the Saamis Tepee while handing out red buttons.
According to the Miywasin Friendship Centre, there have been approximately 4,000 Indigenous murdered or missing women and girls in the last 30 years.
That works out to about 133 a year, or three a week.
Cultural Addiction Counsellor Chasity Cairns says there are more, as many are not reported.
“I’ve lost a family member by this and there are a lot of people in our community who have lost people from this,” she told Chat News.
Cairns says this day brings awareness to a silent pandemic that happens in Canada while honoring our stolen sisters.
“Women, girls, LGTBQ go missing every day in Canada. Indigenous women are 12 times more likely to be murdered or missing than any other women in Canada and so having this day helps create awareness that this is happening.”
The Miywasin Friendship Centre distributed red dress pins at local businesses.
300 were handed out, Cairns says that’s triple from last year.
