By Alexandra Mehl, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter HA-SHILTH-SA

For more than three decades, Valentine香蕉视频直播檚 Day in Vancouver香蕉视频直播檚 Downtown Eastside (DTES) has been marked with the commemoration of Indigenous women and girls who are missing and murdered.

But women and girls continue to be missing and murdered, leading family members and advocates to say not enough is being done to protect Indigenous people.

Sheridan Martin of Gitxsan Nation attended this year香蕉视频直播檚 memorial march with her mother, daughter and granddaughter to honor her sister, Cindy Martin, who went missing in 2018. For five years no one knew what happened to Cindy, but on Aug. 9 of 2023 Cindy香蕉视频直播檚 remains were discovered.

香蕉视频直播淚f you rewind it 20 years ago, Cindy was the one that brought us here,香蕉视频直播� said Sheridan of the DTES Memorial March, adding that Cindy was involved in advocating for missing and murdered women and girls.

Cindy had lived in Vancouver working as an Indigenous advocate for the school board and teaching Indigenous women and girls from the Downtown Eastside how to drum and sing. But at the time of her murder, she was in her hometown in northern B.C.

香蕉视频直播淭his is important for me, because the murdered and missing Indigenous women started going missing in, probably, 1970,香蕉视频直播� said Sheridan. 香蕉视频直播淔ast forward to 2024, and it hasn香蕉视频直播檛 slowed down.香蕉视频直播�

According to Statistics Canada, 490 Indigenous women and girls were murdered between 2009 and 2021, translating to a rate that is six times higher than non-Indigenous women.

Indigenous women and girls are overrepresented as victims of homicide. During this time period they made up almost three per cent of Canada香蕉视频直播檚 population, Statistics Canada reads, while accounting for between five and seven per cent of victims.

香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 highly aware that my granddaughter can go missing because she香蕉视频直播檚 Indigenous,香蕉视频直播� said Sheradan. 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 about my daughter going missing because she香蕉视频直播檚 Indigenous, because she香蕉视频直播檚 a woman, because she香蕉视频直播檚 a female.香蕉视频直播�

Karen Williams of Gitxsan was at the march in memory of her sister, Alberta Williams, who went missing in 1989.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 very uplifting, very uplifting and positive,香蕉视频直播� said Williams of the Memorial March. 香蕉视频直播淭o come and support one another.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淚ndigenous women are not valued as women in a place where it香蕉视频直播檚 our land,香蕉视频直播� said Williams. 香蕉视频直播淲e should be standing together to stop that.香蕉视频直播�

Carol Martin has worked in the DTES women香蕉视频直播檚 centre and been involved in the Memorial March since it began.

香蕉视频直播淲omen still to this day continue to go missing, nothing has really changed,香蕉视频直播� said Martin.

香蕉视频直播淭his whole platform is to bring awareness that things haven香蕉视频直播檛 changed for us Indigenous women, our sacred givers of life. They香蕉视频直播檙e to be honored, they香蕉视频直播檙e to be respected.香蕉视频直播�

But Martin shared that Canada needs to shift the way Indigenous women are thought of.

香蕉视频直播淲hen the media starts talking about these things, the first thing they say is she was a working girl, or she lived a high-risk lifestyle,香蕉视频直播� said Martin.

香蕉视频直播淚 think at birth, we香蕉视频直播檙e at a high-risk,香蕉视频直播� Martin added, 香蕉视频直播渓ifestyle as Indigenous women.香蕉视频直播�

The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was published in 2019. Since then, Martin said that there has been very slow progress.

香蕉视频直播淲here香蕉视频直播檚 the response from the government?香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淭he work is not being put into place to make those changes, and it needs to happen soon.香蕉视频直播�

For Sheridan Martin, layers of oppression, poverty and systemic racism need to be addressed to stop Indigenous women and girls from going missing.

香蕉视频直播淗ow do we start peeling those layers back and really taking a look at how humanity has treated our Indigenous women and girls,香蕉视频直播� said Sheridan.

香蕉视频直播淲e have to stop them from going missing,香蕉视频直播� added Sheradin. 香蕉视频直播淗ow do we put the face of humanity on each Indigenous woman and girl so they香蕉视频直播檙e not looked at as something to be killed and discarded?香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淚f we stand in solidarity, we become a louder voice,香蕉视频直播� she continued. 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 not just one voice or thousands of voices, this march is sending out a message across Canada.香蕉视频直播�

Sheridan hopes that in her granddaughter香蕉视频直播檚 life she sees changes and that there no longer Indigenous people going missing and being murdered.

香蕉视频直播淚 see that hope is still surviving, and hoping to find justice for what happened to the women - especially at the Pickton farm,香蕉视频直播� said Carol, as she explained the yellow roses used in the march represent hope.

READ ALSO:

READ ALSO: