MMIWG Inquiry Brings 231 Recommendations for Change
Report says: Genocide is the sum of the social practices, assumptions, and actions detailed within this report
The exact number cannot be established, but it has been estimated that 4000 indigenous women and girls have gone missing or been murdered over the last few decades.
After over 3 years, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls inquiry highlights 231 steps that need to be taken, not just by governments, but by media and individual Canadians to end what the report calls a ‘genocide’ against indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA [two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual] people.
You can read a condensed version of the points from the report HERE from CBC.
It is useful to highlight the ‘imperatives’ for individual Canadians:
15.1 Denounce and speak out against violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people.
15.2 Decolonize by learning the true history of Canada and Indigenous history in your local area. Learn about and celebrate Indigenous peoples’ history, cultures, pride and diversity, acknowledging the land you live on and its importance to local Indigenous communities, both historically and today.
15.3 Develop knowledge and read the Final Report. Listen to the truths shared, and acknowledge the burden of these human and Indigenous rights violations, and how they impact Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people today.
15.4 Using what you have learned and some of the resources suggested, become a strong ally. Being a strong ally involves more than just tolerance; it means actively working to break down barriers and to support others in every relationship and encounter in which you participate.
15.5 Confront and speak out against racism, sexism, ignorance, homophobia and transphobia, and teach or encourage others to do the same, wherever it occurs: in your home, in your workplace, or in social settings.
15.6 Protect, support and promote the safety of women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people by acknowledging and respecting the value of every person and every community, as well as the right of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people to generate their own, self-determined solutions.
15.7 Create time and space for relationships based on respect as human beings, supporting and embracing differences with kindness, love and respect. Learn about Indigenous principles of relationship specific to those Nations or communities in your local area and work, and put them into practice in all of your relationships with Indigenous peoples.
15.8 Help hold all governments accountable to act on the Calls for Justice, and to implement them according to the important principles we set out.
Again, you can read a condensed version of ALL the points from the report HERE, from the CBC.
