Red Dress Day: Honouring MMIWG2S+ on May 5th
MMIWG2S+ Art Installation. Source: IRSSS
About May 5th
May 5th is Red Dress Day, Canada's National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S).
Indigenous women make up just 4% of Canada's female population, yet account for 16% of all female homicides. Violent crime, and the disproportionate affects on Indigenous women, is a devastating reality. Behind every name is a family that is still waiting, still grieving, still demanding to be heard.
Red Dress Day is a day to honour those we have lost, to hold space for the families carrying this grief, and to stand firm in the ongoing calls for justice.
At IRSSS, this work exists at the very heart of our mission. No more stolen sisters.
Red Dress Art Installation in Winnipeg, MB
The Red Dress
The red dress has become an enduring symbol of the MMIWG2S+ crisis. In 2010, Métis artist Jaime Black launched The REDress Project, placing empty red dresses in public spaces to represent the missing presence of Indigenous women and girls.
That image has become a symbol of grief, resistance, and the ongoing demand for change. We use the red dress as a symbol of the crisis, but also as a way to signify the demand for change and hope for the future.
MMIWG2S+ Support Services
If you have lost someone, or if this crisis lives close to home - know that we walk with you. Cost-free support and resources, including counselling, police report filing, in-courtroom emotional support, and culturally-led practices, are available to you.
Last year, IRSSS's MMIWG2S+ program delivered over 47,000 support interactions across BC. Our coordinators are present in communities across the province - no matter where you are located, IRSSS is dedicated to ensuring you have access to resources.
To survivors and families: you do not have to navigate this alone.
Support services offered by IRSSS. Source: IRSSS
A Lifeline At Risk
Now, more than ever, financial support is needed to keep this vital program in place. Our MMIWG2S+ Program is at risk due to severe funding cuts, and the critical support that so many affected families rely on hangs in the balance.
This program provides support to families and individuals affected by the MMIWG2S+ crisis. The services that this program offers include:
Emotional and cultural support, including counselling and cultural healing practices
Advocacy and advice, including assistance filing police reports and attending court dates
Providing the Indigenous-led service that is so desperately needed in times of crisis
This ongoing reality requires ongoing support. Donations directly support the programs and services that families rely on when they are navigating unimaginable circumstances.
The Indian Residential School Survivors Society is a registered Canadian charity. Donations are eligible for a tax receipt.