This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Toronto chapter.

Establishment and Growth

On October 4, the annual Sisters In Spirit (SIS) Vigils were held across Canada, and internationally, in honour of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The SIS Vigils were established by the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), and provides the foundation for research and awareness of violence against Aboriginal females in Canada. SIS Vigils has expanded from 11 in 2006 to 92 in 2016.

The Vigil

The NWAC of Toronto organized talks from Aboriginal guest speakers and a candlelight vigil to honour Indigenous victims. Participants gathered to pray and commemorate the lives of Indigenous women and girls as a community.

On the same day, students from the U of T Medicine Department held discussions on missing and murdered indigenous women and the importance of having vigils like the SIS Vigils. The Medicine Department then joined the community in Toronto to pay tributes at Allan Gardens.

National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

The SIS Vigils are one of NWAC’s many ways to voice safety concerns for Indigenous females and reclaim justice for female victims of violence, disappearance, and murder in the Aboriginal community.

In September, the Government launched a National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) in response to inquiries of unsolved MMIW cases. The inquiry has somewhat acknowledged issues raised through NWAC’s initiatives, such as the Sisters In Spirit Vigils. However, many still find the Government’s efforts lacking.

“I want to see something done for families. Something that they can feel that something is being done and their own justice is being addressed,” Mohawk Beverley Jacobs, former president of the NWAC, said.

Chloé Fedio, CBC News

Trudeau on MMIW

Jacobs was an attendant at SIS Vigil held at Parliament Hill on October 4. Justin Trudeau also came to pay his tributes, alongside other Vigil participants. Trudeau gave his encouragement of Sisters In Spirit Vigils as a social movement and addressed concerns about the lack of progress of the national inquiry on MMIW.

“This is not something that we’ll be able to change overnight, or in a week or a month or in a year. It is something that we are going to have to commit to work on every day,” Trudeau commented.

Trusts and Changes

Although NWAC has improved awareness of the need to support MMIW families through increased SIS vigils, social media sharing, and discussions, the statistics fail to match up.

In 2014, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) reported a staggering figure of 1, 181 reported cases of murdered and missing indigenous girls and women between 1980 and 2012. It has been estimated that the number of cases is actually closer to 4, 000.

Some believe that the RCMP’s assistance in the national inquiry on MMIW will not bring beneficial changes to the Aboriginal community. Legal director of Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund Kim Stanton proposed that the national inquiry should incorporate a review process led by civilians, particularly families of victims and female members of indigenous background.

“That level of distrust is just so high,” said Stanton.

The national inquiry on MMIW calls for attention and responsibility from the government and mindfulness from members of society.

In such aspect, the Sisters In Spirit Vigils fulfill its role in delivering NWAC’s mandate to educate, raise awareness, and allow access to justice for MMIW families by assisting in solving MMIW cases and police training.

Article Sources:

https://nwac.ca/policy-areas/violence-prevention-and-safety/sisters-in-s…

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/nine-things-to-know-about-t…

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/missing-murdered-women-parliament-hill-v…

http://www.eventsincanada.net/event-sisters-in-spirit-vigil-2016-u-of-t-…

Photo Sources:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/missing-murdered-women-parliament-hill-v…