Missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people (MMIWG2S) families are calling on police accountability while sharing the stories of their children and sisters.
Amnesty International Canada, Sisters in Spirit and the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, were joined by the families of Tatyanna Harrison, Chelsea Poorman, Noelle O’Soup and Ramona Wilson on Monday for a press conference.
In 2017, Statistics Canada reported 16% of female homicide victims between 1980 and 2014 were Indigenous women, and Indigenous women represent 10% of the total population of women in Canada missing for at least 30 days.
Natasha Harrison, mother of a murdered 20 year-old Tatyanna Harrison, says families are often left to investigate things themselves.
“The list of neglect continues, the communication with law enforcement to the family and community has come to a halt. Which leads me to feel no effort or resources are being put into her case. Due to these lack of resources, you have put me in a position to investigate my own daughter’s disappearance— creating unnecessary trauma and suffering for not only me, but all those who are helping along the way.”
Josie August, relative of a murdered 13 year-old girl, called for RCMP to do their due dilligence.
“We ask that you be transparent and quit protecting the predators. Start posting their pictures, so that other vulnerable women and girls will not end up in those situations. I find it very disheartening that we find more through [the] media than the Vancouver Police Department.”
The full one-hour conference, with a multitude of speakers, is available below.
A small portion of the conference has been lost due to an internet connection failure during.
