Photo Credit: Kara Alyssa Creative
The REDress Project focuses around the issue of missing and/or murdered Indigenous women across Canada. It is an installation art project based on an aesthetic response to this critical national issue. The project has been installed in public spaces throughout Canada and the United States as a visual reminder of the staggering number of women who are no longer with us. Through the installation I hope to draw attention to the gendered and racialized nature of violent crimes against Aboriginal women and to evoke a presence through the marking of absence. Learn more about the REDress Project here.
In September 2016, the Government of Canada launched an entirely independent National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. In June 2019, the MMIWG National Inquiry released their final report, finding that persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people.
Indigenous women face life-threatening, gender-based violence, and disproportionately experience violent crimes because of hatred and racism, as the 1484 family members and survivors proved during their testimonies for the National Inquiry. The Calls to Justice 15.1-15.8 asks Canadians to learn how violence against Indigenous women and girls is part of long standing colonial policies, rather than a result of individual choice.
The Government of Canada has set up a national, toll-free crisis line, to provide support for anyone who requires assistance. This line is available free of charge, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Service is available in English, French, Cree, Anishinaabemowin (Ojbiway) and Inuktitut. Please call 1-844-413-6649 if you or someone you know needs help or support.
Learn more about the Lil’ Red Dress Project here.