Islanders come together to raise awareness about MMIWG

Hundreds of people gathered at Victoria Park in Charlottetown on Friday to remember and honour Indigenous women and girls, and two-spirit people who have been killed or have gone missing.

May 5 is the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG), also known as Red Dress Day.

Many of the people in attendance wore regalia or red clothes. Some had red hand prints over their mouths.

The event began with a walk, and ended in a gathering with speeches.

It's an important day to remember and honour those whose lives have been affected, said Jamie Thomas, director of culture and tourism for Lennox Island First Nation, who spoke at the event.

"It really is an epidemic here in our communities," she said.

"The number of women and girls who go missing or are found murdered far exceeds regular standards or statistics. So it's really about awareness and creating that safe space for us to reflect on what it is that we're dealing with here in this country."

At the event, there were photos of individuals who have died, are missing or have been impacted by the issue.

P.E.I. is a small community and may not be as affected as other larger communities across the country, Thomas said, but it is still something Islanders need to be more educated on.

"There are people in our province who have been impacted by MMIWG and those families, you know, have suffered through that loss and that pain and that trauma. So just reflect on that and become better allies and really work with us Indigenous people and learn."

Five Indigenous organizations from across the Island worked together to put on the event.

"It's one of the first times that we've done that," Thomas said. "It's really significant and there's a lot of work that's gone into this day."

One of those five organizations is the Aboriginal Women's Association of P.E.I.

The group's president, Matilda Ramjattan, hopes the event raised more awareness about violence against Indigenous women and girls, and two-spirit people.

And she hopes it could also provide the opportunity for people to bring forward their concerns, especially if they have witnessed violence in their community, Ramjattan said.

"This is an opportunity where people can reach out."