Transportation remains key issue impacting MMIWG2S on Highway of Tears, 2 decades later

 IMPORTANT

This sign warning women against hitchhiking is displayed in Moricetown, a Wet'suwet'en village 33 kilometres north of Smithers. (Simon Charland-Faucher/CBC)

 

READ:  https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/mmiwg2s-highway-tears-transportation-9.7159942 

New billboards for missing and murdered women aim to change narrative of B.C.'s 'Highway of Tears' 

Canadian government has decided to end funding for MMIWG2S+

 

Indigenous Groups on Ending of Some Federal MMIWG Supports – April 8, 2026 -  👉click CPAC

(AFN) 2025 Progress Report on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Calls for Justice, Highlighting Human Trafficking Crisis

PRESS RELEASE: https://afn.ca/all-news/press-releases/assembly-of-first-nations-afn-releases-2025-progress-report-on-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-and-girls-mmiwg-calls-for-justice-highlighting-human-trafficking-crisis/

“We call on the Government of Canada to act now to ensure full implementation of the Calls for Justice, not only on human trafficking, but also policing, corrections, the impacts of resource extraction, and interjurisdictional and cross-border coordination,” said National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak. “We know what’s possible when governments and institutions act with political will. That same commitment is needed now for every First Nations woman, girl, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ person across this country.”

The report is available here: 2025 Progress Report on Breathing Life into the Calls for Justice: Thematic Analysis on Human Trafficking.

Support is available. The Hope for Wellness Help Line provides immediate mental health counseling and crisis intervention to all Indigenous people across Canada.  This toll-free service is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  To talk with someone, please call 1-855-242-3310. Phone and chat counselling is available in English and French.  Phone counselling is also available in Cree, Ojibwe, and Inuktitut, upon request.

New online tool tracks progress on MMIWG calls for justice

Emily Blake· January 29, 2025 

 

SOURCE: https://cabinradio.ca/220474/news/politics/new-online-tool-tracks-progress-on-mmiwg-calls-for-justice/

The monument to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People outside the NWT Legislative Assembly. Emily Blake/CabinRadio

The federal government has launched a new online tool that tracks its progress on the calls for justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

A Wednesday press release from Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada stated the new reporting tool presents the results of its annual progress reports on the calls for justice “in a more accessible, visual and interactive format.”

The national inquiry released its final report in 2019, which included 231 calls for justice to various levels of government, media, service providers, police, industry and all Canadians.

Of those calls, 215 are directed at the federal government, which has also supported a further five actions.

The federal government released a national action plan to address the calls for justice in 2021.

The online reporting tool states that as of June 2024, the federal government has begun work on 115 of the calls for justice.  A further 105 are “pending action.”

The tool allows users to search progress on the calls for justice by theme and government department.

The federal government said the online tool will be updated with the results of its 2024-25 progress report when it is released on June 3.

The launch of the tool was announced during opening remarks at the third annual national Indigenous, federal, provincial and territorial meeting on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People in Ottawa.

The NWT government has said Lucy Kuptana, the territory’s minister responsible for the status of women, is attending the meeting virtually.

The GNWT released its action plan to address the calls for justice in 2022. The territory is currently working to develop missing persons legislation, which was one of the calls for justice.

Deb Haaland, first Indigenous member of U.S. cabinet, meets counterparts in Ottawa

 By The Canadian Press

Sep 06, 2023 

The first-ever Indigenous member of the U.S. cabinet is in Canada to talk about how best to help First Nations, Inuit and Métis Inuit communities across the continent.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a member of New Mexico’s Laguna Pueblo tribe, has made missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls a top priority of her department.

While in Ottawa, she will take part in a trilateral working group set up in 2016 to address the problem, a crisis in all three countries in North America.

Haaland is also expected to meet with a number of federal officials and dignitaries in the national capital, as well as David Cohen, the U.S. ambassador to Canada.

READ MORE: https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/deb-haaland-first-indigenous-member-of-u-s-cabinet-meets-counterparts-in-ottawa/

The tragic legacy of residential schools, known in the U.S. as boarding schools, has also been a key focal point for Haaland.

 

New exhibit to raise awareness about MMIWG2S

 VIDEO: https://ckpgtoday.ca/2023/09/09/new-exhibit-to-raise-awareness-about-mmiwg2s-at-pgpl/

By Kaytlyn Poberznick

Prince George – Education and awareness is what the new exhibit in the Prince George Public Library is hoping to do. Open from now until the end of September, the exhibit provides plenty of information on Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls, and has loads of visual aspects to go along with it, including red dresses along the stairway. When it comes to the educational aspects of this exhibit, it’s important to remember that the impact of the past has rippled into the present.

SEE MORE: https://ckpgtoday.ca/2023/09/09/new-exhibit-to-raise-awareness-about-mmiwg2s-at-pgpl/

ALBERTA: Province announces additional support MMIWG

 

Officials with the Alberta government say grant applications are now open for communities and organizations working to address the violence, safety and economic security of Indigenous women, girls and 2S+ people.

Alberta’s government say it is committed to ensuring Indigenous women, girls and two spirit plus (2S+) people have a future that is safe, secure and respected.  Officials say the Community Support Fund provides grants for community-based, Indigenous-led initiatives that address violence and increase safety and economic security for these groups.

According to the government, the fund will support $4 million in grants each year. Recipients can receive a maximum of $200,000 towards their initiatives. The fund is expected to provide immediate support for healing, preventing violence and addressing the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2S+ people, complementing the long-term work of the Premier’s Council on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

“As the Premier’s Council advances collaborative work with the Government of Alberta, this dedicated ongoing funding is important for Indigenous-led projects to support Indigenous women, girls and 2S+peoples. I commend the province for taking the initiative on this grant program,” adds Rachelle Venne, chair, Premier’s Council on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. 

“The Community Support Fund is creating projects and initiatives for Indigenous and non-Indigenous community organizations to create a safer, more supportive community for Indigenous women, girls and two spirit people. This funding will foster healing, awareness and hope among this vibrant and key demographic.,” notes LeeAnne Ireland, executive director, Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth.

 The call for applications will close on Oct. 6. 

Alberta government quick facts 

First Nations, Métis and Inuit women face significantly higher rates of violence throughout their lifetimes than all other women in Canada. 

In Alberta, Indigenous women are seven times more likely to be murdered, three times more likely to experience sexual assault, and twice as likely to be assaulted compared with non-Indigenous women. 

 In 2021, Alberta had the second-highest reports of homicide for Indigenous people behind Saskatchewan. 

 

SOURCE

Help Fight the MMIWG Epidemic

YES! I JUST STARTED WATCHING ALASKA DAILY 

Help Fight the MMIW/MMIR Epidemic

Red Road Institute is proud to announce two new initiatives protecting our people and saving lives. We do need your help to see these through.

As you might know, tribes are rarely able to prosecute non-tribal citizens for crimes they commit on our reservations. As a result, our reservations are breeding grounds for wicked people to rape, murder, and assault our people.

Because the local police are rarely allowed to prosecute crimes outside their jurisdiction, the FBI is the only department able to investigate crimes committed by non-Natives on tribal land.

In 2016, the last year these stats were kept, there were 5,712 known cases of missing or murdered indigenous women. However, only 116 were logged into the DOJ database. For over 90% of the crimes, a real investigation never happens.

So we're putting together these programs to help our people because the government will not. 

Red Road Alert: On July 1st, we will roll out the Red Road Alert in South and North Dakota. This system will allow tribal police departments and police in cities surrounding reservations to send a text alert to people who have subscribed to our service when one of our relatives is missing.

This is similar to an Amber Alert and will help our people be on the lookout for our relatives and share information.

We plan to expand this to other states as funds and grants become available. However, we need $19k more to ensure this is financed for an entire year.

Donate to Red Road Alert

 

Red Road TV is the premier TV station for all of your Native American and First Nations content. We are the largest indigenous TV station in the world. We’re all Indigenous, All the Time! Visit Red Road TV Download Red Road TV to your home TV Red Road TV – Native American | TV App | Roku Channel Store | Roku   A New Show on Red Road TV

MMIW: Unsolved Cases: Have you heard about Red Road TV? This is our 100% free indigenous programming available on Roku and other smart TVs. Since we don’t charge for our programming, we must raise money for anything we produce. We’re currently working on the first five episodes of a show that will highlight unsolved MMIW cases. We’re hiring private investigators to go where the federal government will not. On April 15th, we will release a new website that will allow us to share information and hopefully bring some of our stolen sisters home. Our budget is tight, and we are short $11k for advertising and equipment if you want to donate money or equipment. We want you to know that 100% of all Red Road Institute’s donations return to our communities. Not one person on our staff receives compensation.

Help Fight the MMIW/MMIR Epidemic

HAWAIʻI TASKFORCE FOR MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN | CANADA #MMIWG UPDATE

Honolulu, Hawaiʻi — The Hawaiʻi State Commission on the Status of Women honored the national day of awareness for Missing Murdered and Indigenous Women and Girls’ Day on May 5, 2021, and announced that Hawaiʻi State Legislature passed HCR11, which created a taskforce for missing and murdered indigenous women and girls (MMIWG).
The state-wide, multi-year taskforce will be co-chaired by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Hawaiʻi State Commission on the Status of Women (Commission). The Apology Resolution, a joint resolution of U.S. Congress passed in 1993, confirmed that Native Hawaiians are an “indigenous people,” which established a “political” relationship between Native Hawaiians and the United States
government. However, Native Hawaiians have not been included in national research on MMWIG to date.
The Hawaiʻi State Legislature Women’s Legislative Caucus included HCR11 in their priority bill package for 2021.  

Hawaiʻi State Representative Stacelynn K.M. Eli championed HCR11: “For too long we Native Hawaiian women, like our land, have been commodified. Our bodies and our stories are used and forgotten. This is vital work for us as a State, to provide us with meaningful data to ensure the protection of our most vulnerable population: Native Hawaiian women and girls.”

Unlike other states such as Washington state, Hawaii’s MMIWG taskforce will not be led by law enforcement, but rather by agencies that advocate for Native Hawaiians, women and gender diverse people. 

The legislation also formally recognizes that “harmful colonial stereotypes have resulted in the sexual fetishization of Native Hawaiians” and that “land dispossession and incarceration have increased vulnerability of Native Hawaiians” to violence. 

"People ask why is an MMIWG taskforce needed in Hawaiʻi?  Preliminary data shows that Native Hawaiians are disproportionately trafficked into the sex trade, which fuels the MMIWG crisis. From 2017 to 2019, one out of every three child sex trafficking victims reported to the State of Hawaiʻi, Child Welfare Services hotline were Native Hawaiian. In addition, 64% of 97 sex trafficking victims identified in 2019 by Child & Family Services were Native Hawaiian,” said Khara Jabola-Carolus, Executive Director, of the Commission.

“We lose Indigenous girls in Hawaiʻi through many means--through the foster care system, through predators who quietly lure children into human trafficking, and of course through domestic violence.  This issue exists because we do not care about Indigenous women.  We allow unforgivable numbers of women to be murdered in our country and yes, even in our state.  So, we have decided that we need to do something to raise awareness in Hawai`i, and honor the families here whose daughters are missing and murdered.  Today, to raise awareness and support our Indigenous Sisters, we will wear red, with red handprints over our faces to represent their voices being silenced, as we say NO MORE STOLEN SISTERS,” emphasized Stacey Moniz, Maui Commissioner of the State Commission.

Edie Ignacio-Neumiller, Kauaʻi Commissioner of the State Commission stated, “All islands including Kauaʻi will be at the table to interrogate this cycle of violence. There is a crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls and widespread rampant of violence among women and girls.  There needs to be more specific data to find local solutions and locations of MMIWG.”
 

“This day also provides an opportunity for our government to reaffirm their commitment to stop exploitation of other humans for profit, particularly Native Hawaiian women and girls.  We will address the systemic shortcomings of national and local governments to adequately focus on issues of Human Trafficking that most often leads to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls,” said Cyd
Hoffeld, Hawaiʻi Island Commissioner of the State Commission. “We will continue to bring public awareness and ongoing island-wide discussions about human trafficking in Hawai’i, through the support and partnerships of the Hawai’i State Commission, and our County Committees on the Status of Women.”

 

CANADA: ‘This is genocide’: Final MMIWG report says all Canadians have role in ending violence  

Arctic MMIWG issue: here

MMIP webcast DOI | Not Invisible Act Commission

 WEBCAST: Missing and Murdered (MMIP) WATCH

National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day Event

transcript

Deb: I'm Secretary Deb Haaland at I'm honored to join you from the ancestral homelands of the Anacostia and Piscataway people on what President Biden has proclaimed as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day. I wish we didn't need to be here. I wish that this day was obsolete, that we didn't have to keep fighting year after year for our people to be honored and respected. But we are here. And I want to use today to shine a light on the national crisis of missing and murdered indigenous peoples and give space to others to share the work they are doing on this issue. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their communities, but the MMIP crisis is one that communities have faced since the dawn of colonization. For too long, this issue has been swept under the rug by our government with a lack of urgency, attention, or funding. The rates of missing persons cases and violence against American Indian, Alaska native, and native Hawaiian communities are disproportionate, alarming, and unacceptable. It is heartbreaking to know that our loved ones are at an increased risk of disappearing without warning, leaving families and communities devastated. I want to extend my gratitude to the organizers, advocates, native women who have been shedding light on MMIP crisis for decades. People who have had an empty chair at their kitchen tables, loved ones who tirelessly searched or their relatives, service providers who hear the heartbreaking stories of family members of the missing. I want you to know that I see you and I stand with you. In our first year, there is much the Biden-Harris administration has done to take this issue seriously. As many of you know, last year, I announce the formation of a new missing and murdered unit within the Bureau of Indian affairs office of Justice services to provide leadership and direction across departmental and interagency work involving missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska natives. The MMU is marshaling resources across agencies and throughout Indian country to focus on this crisis. Since the launch ofMMU, the department has built up personnel and increased infrastructure capacity by launching new offices. Today, 17 BIA offices located throughout the nation have at least one agent dedicated to solving missing and murder cases for American Indians and Alaska natives. In December, the BIA announced on lots of its new website dedicated to solving missing and murder cases in Indian country. The website is bia.gov/mmu. Bia.gov/mmu. The site is an important tool to help law enforcement, families, and communities to share critical information about missing and murdered individuals that can help the MMU solve cases and give closure to families. The website showcases individual missing and murdered case profiles that can be quickly shared via social media and other digital media to raise visibility of victims. It also provides multiple pathways to submit important tips and other case information that may help investigators with detection or investigation of an offense committed in Indian country. The MMU has enabled the Department to expand its collaborative efforts with other agencies such as working to enhance the DOJ's national missing and unidentified persons system. Staff are also developing strategic partnerships with additional stakeholders such as the FBI, behavioral analysis units, FBI forensic laboratories , U.S. marshals missing child unit, and the National Center for missing and exploited children. This unit and interior will continue to engage in collaborative efforts with tribal, federal, and state stakeholders to ensure accurate data and enhance community outreach. The MMU is a critical tool in our work to address this crisis, and today, we announce steps for another. In Congress, the Not Invisible Act now in partnership with the Justice Department and with extensive engagement with tribes and other stakeholders, we are putting that law into action. Today, our agencies announce the membership of the new Not Invisible Act Commission which we formed the last year. For the first time, the interior and Justice Department will be guided by an advisory committee composed of law enforcement, tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing and murdered individuals, and most importantly, survivors. This commission will ensure that we hear the voices of those who are most impacted by this issue. It includes diverse experience, backgrounds, and geographies to provide balance once of use. The commission will hold hearings, take estimate, and -- testimonies, and receive evidence to develop recommendations for the federal government to combat violent crimes against indigenous people. The missing and murdered indigenous peoples crisis is centuries in the making, and it will take a focused effort and time to unravel the many threads that contribute to the alarming rates. I'm grateful to those of you who rang the alarm and gave a voice to the missing. My heart goes out to the families of loved ones who were impacted by violence. We will keep working to address this issue and together, I believe we will provide justice for survivors and families. And that I will turn the floor over to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, who will share recorded remarks for today's event. 

keep reading👇

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If you need someone to talk to during these difficult times or to assist you in navigating your way to help, support is at the end of a phone line, from Monday - Friday, 9-noon and 1-4 EST. pic.twitter.com/lKC359KLgH

— NWAC (@NWAC_CA) August 6, 2021

The law on repatriation of Native American cultural items is broken. Returning that which doesn’t belong to you to the rightful owners is a simple concept—you give it right back. But this extremely limited law has resulted in laughable delay by dilatory museums for what is easy. https://t.co/4QOzwIZCkc

— Brett Chapman (@brettachapman) August 6, 2021

 

Survivors of the St. Michael’s Indian Residential School attended a five-day gathering on the former site of the school.

The gathering was an opportunity to get survivors’ input on what areas need to be searched. | @priscil28509125 https://t.co/V6sHO37zur

— APTN News (@APTNNews) August 6, 2021

 

Whites stole everything associated with land from Native Americans like my great great grandma Alberta Four Eyes. They put 12 oil wells on her land. In 1919 alone, just 1 of the 12 produced $11 million of oil—helping a White oilman control 10% of the world’s oil in 1920. Robbery! pic.twitter.com/LBqzRecGbX

— Brett Chapman (@brettachapman) August 6, 2021

 

"“Boarding schools — along with the entire structure of our churches and government and policing and military — combine to create a particular world. White Christians are safe in that world.” — @gindaanis" https://t.co/k4ITl0w8EI via @sojourners

— Trace kalala Hentz (@StonePony33) July 27, 2021

 

Criminal justice advocates are calling for the murder convictions of two Indigenous women to be immediately overturned.

Odelia Quewezance cut off her hair as a statement – mourning the loss of her and her sister’s freedom. | @Hollyaptn | @brittany_guyothttps://t.co/o0wTpw72NP

— APTN News (@APTNNews) August 6, 2021

 

On the largest tribal nation in Montana, climate change is further diminishing water sources that have been declining for years. “This time, there is no single enemy to fight,” wrote Crow scientists last spring: https://t.co/JmhnjwyK0U

— High Country News (@highcountrynews) August 6, 2021

 

(click links in tweets for access to stories)

Headlines: Indian Country Today #MMIWG

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The everyday violence of Indian Country’s ‘bordertowns’ In ‘Red Nation Rising,’ violence in the communities abutting reservations illuminates colonialism’s continued presence.

The Arrow Lakes Band is one of many Indigenous communities bisected and disrupted by a border about which they were never consulted.

Supreme Court of Canada affirms trans-boundary Indigenous rights   🠟🠟🠟 #MMIWG

Tribes unveil landmark missing and murdered Indigenous person response

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes worked with federal agencies to complete a first of its kind plan to address the crisis.

By Jessica Douglas

Two years ago, on a February evening, Ellie Bundy attended a tribal working group in Arlee, Montana, on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Surrounded by local and tribal law enforcement, tribal members and families, Bundy listened as people told stories about loved ones or community members who had gone missing. “What if that were my daughter?” Bundy said. “We say that a lot, but really, what if it were my daughter? What if it were my sister? What if it were my cousins? It is a visual you just can't get out of your head.” The meeting was one of four hosted by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes to encourage discussion and come up with local community responses to the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous people. Bundy is now a councilwoman for the Salish and Kootenai, as well as the presiding officer of the Montana Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force. For the past five months, she and other tribal officials have participated in a series of working groups with federal, state and local law enforcement and community organizations. On April 1, at a press conference at the tribal headquarters in Pablo, Montana, the Salish and Kootenai joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in announcing the completion of the first Tribal Community Response Plan to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people. As the first plan of its kind to be developed, it will serve as a model that tribal governments across Indian Country can adapt to meet their own specific needs. It marks a critical milestone in the effort to resolve the crisis, something that advocates say must be led by tribal nations and supported by the federal government. The new plan comes at a unique time nationally, after the passage of federal legislation including Savanna’s Act and renewing the Violence Against Women Act, coupled with executive-branch initiatives, such as Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s new unit in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which was created specifically to investigate crimes involving missing and murdered Indigenous people.

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