Red Dress Day – CFWE

May 1, 2024

Red Dress Day – the National Day of Awareness and Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S) – marks a day of remembrance and awareness for the profound violence experienced by thousands of Indigenous women, gender-diverse people, and their communities.

This day first began in 2010 as the REDress Project, an art installation by Metis artist Jaime Black, and displayed hanging red dresses as a symbol of those lost to the ongoing violence.

In Canada, Indigenous women are overrepresented across nearly all accounts of violence. Despite only making up 4.3% of the population, Indigenous women make up 16% of female homicide victims and 11% of missing women. Alberta is amongst the highest number of MMIWG2S cases. We know these numbers are likely much higher due to countless systemic and structural barriers including underreporting, inadequate investigations, and dismissal by officials.

In 2019, The National Inquiry for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls released a report titled Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. This report was created through public hearings and evidence gathering across the country and shares the truths of more than 2,380 family members, survivors, experts and Knowledge Keepers.

Read More: https://cfweradio.ca/2024/05/01/red-dress-day/