Days of Significance: Red Dress Day

May 5 marks the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S) in Canada, also known as Red Dress Day. The day is about building awareness and honouring those who were lost and their families.

1. Red Dress Day remembers missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people 

Remembering and acknowledging the injustices, the lack of follow-up, the lack of resolution. These families have lived with this for years, and in some cases for decades. And so having a Red Dress Day, and recognizing that these stories occur. That these families are still looking for answers, and that this can’t continue to happen. That is what we are doing today: trying to address a wrong that has taken place for many years and many decades.

2. Grassroots art sends a strong message as we mark red dress day

If you see a red dress hanging in a public space you are witnessing a true, grassroots movement, the REDress Project.

3. Kamloops commemorates Red Dress Day

As Canadians commemorate Red Dress Day in Canada, local government leaders are keen on addressing the national inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) and the report’s 231 Calls for Justice. 

4. Red Dress Day ‘near and dear’ to Island woman 

Indigenous women and girls are five times more likely to experience violence than any other population in Canada, and Indigenous women make up 16 per cent of all female homicide victims and 11 per cent of missing women, despite representing just 4.3 per cent of the population, the organization says.

5. Cost of Doing Nothing : Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

For many years, government policy in regards to Indigenous people has been more reactive than preventative, and policy with regards to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMING) is no exception. 

6. Missing and murdered Indigenous women: Working with families to prepare for the National Inquiry/Femmes autochtones disparues ou assassinées : travailler avec les familles en prévision de l’Enquête nationale

Imagine that your daughter or sister or mother disappeared – and when you asked for help from police, your concerns weren’t taken seriously. Then, a week later her body is discovered. While the exact details of the story may vary, this is the current scenario for thousands of family members of missing and murdered Indigenous women. After years of advocacy and emotional turmoil, a national inquiry has finally been struck to find out what went wrong and how to fix it.