The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls finished its work a year and a half ago, and the issue has largely faded from news headlines during the pandemic. But this human rights crisis has not gone away. In fact, according to a survey conducted last Spring by the Native Women’s Association of Canada, violence against Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people has increased during the pandemic.
The federal government has still not issued a formal response to the National Inquiry’s Final Report. The much-anticipated National Action Plan to implement the National Inquiry’s 231 Calls for Justice, which was set to be released in June 2020, was delayed because of the pandemic. The government has stated that the plan is under development, but the timeline remains unknown.
As the federal government crafts the National Action Plan it is looking to provinces and territories to see how each jurisdiction plans to implement the National Inquiry’s Calls for Justice. In December, the Yukon became the first jurisdiction to release its strategy to end the violence.
Much of Amnesty International’s advocacy with the No More Stolen Sisters campaign has focused on calling for the federal government to take action. Our calls for federal action remain unchanged, but this year we are pivoting to focus on action at the local, provincial, and territorial levels to encourage these levels of government to review the National Inquiry’s Calls for Justice and work with rights holders to develop action plans for their jurisdiction.
New campaign guide to be released March 8th
On March 8th, International Women’s Day, we released the No More Stolen Sisters campaign guide to support your activism at the local, provincial, and territorial levels. The guide will include a brief overview of the issues and actions taken to date, and provide guidance for Amnesty supporters building and strengthen connections with rights holders to collectively explore how best to support local, provincial, and territorial initiatives to end the violence.
Please make space in your activist calendar to review the campaign guide in March. If you are part of a community group that now meets virtually, please build in time to discuss the campaign guide together. Please take time to implement the guide throughout 2021.
