[van-announce] Another Day of Action to End All Forms of Violence Against Women on May 18/04

[announcements at resist.ca]

Another Day of Action to End All Forms of Violence Against Women on May 18/04

Where:
Vancouver and Victoria Courthouses

When:
Tuesday, 18th of May 2004 from 2:00 PM until approximately 4:00 PM

Cost: Free

Please pass this notice around. I think that it is very vital that we take what ever 
risk that is necessary and start advocating for not only ourselves, our 
families but also for everyone out there who does not have a family. We need to 
reach beyond our realm.

I what like to extend this invitation to all the elders, chiefs and drum 
carriers to come and join our little movement and speakout.

IN just the past few days there was another aboriginal girl killed in 
the nothern part of the island. There was some remarks made about all 
she had to do was just call MCFAm, or the children help line.
I am wondering if the person who said this on behalf of the government 
doesn't about the history of aboriginal people and the government, or 
thought that maybe this child's family didn't have a telephone or that 
the only women and child centre had been closed due to the government 
cut backs.
Then there is the case up north where the judge is only just being 
charged for terrorizing young aboriginal women for over a decade and 
several promonment members in the community knew about it. Just like the
 police and several members in Vancouver knew about the picton farm for 
decades.

]The BC Aboriginal Women Committee and the National Women Aboriginal 
Council have started their campaign to end violence against women. 

I say that we need to end all forms of violences against all women.
On May the eighteenth I ask that if you agree with this that you 
consider joining us at the courthouse in Vancouver. If you cannot come 
then there will be agathering at the Victoria courthouse at the sametime(main
 entrance).

Here are a few words of what a judge has to say about the case coming up
 on May 18 which is one year to the date that we can get the Liberals 
out of power.

This taken from www.turtleislandnativenews.org

About the case involving a prominant community leader and chief of the 
reserve in Nothern BC.

24] I am very impressed with what has occurred. I am impressed with the 
depth of the experience that this community has gone through in a very 
short time. There will be no answers from these short four months; no 
answers. There will only be more questions, and there will be more 
debate. We can see the debate is continuing.

[25] But, through the excellent work of a number of people, including 
Jeanie Dendys, Director of Justice for the Liard First Nation and 
Dorothy Johns, Health and Social Advisor. And by the instigation of 
Hammond Dick, Chief Executive Officer of the Tribal Counsel, a number of
 meetings have been held, both meetings of a wide audience and meetings 
of a narrow audience.

[26] As to the wide audience, after a good deal of groundwork, a Family 
Violence Conference was held on February 10th, 11th, and 12th. It was 
attended by many grassroots people from the Kaska Nation, by many Elders,
 the Tribal Counsel, and other people. There were workshops and other 
sessions, a dialogue occurred. And that dialogue focused on domestic 
violence. It talked about a number of things. It did not only explore 
about what somebody else can do for "us", in the domestic violence issue,
 it talked about what "we" can do according to the 
recommendations that 
were given, what "we" can do for ourselves about this critical problem.

[27] There was also a Facilitator hired by the Kaska to come to the 
community and meet with a number of people who are intimately involved 
in this particular case.

This information was also taken from the website call Island Native news
 on the stand that the National Aboriginal Women Council(NWAC)is taking 
and what they are prepared to do.

February 5, 2004 

As the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) gets ready to launch 
its "Sisters in Spirit" campaign, there have been nine more DNA 
matches 
of women found on the Pickton pig farm in Port Coquitlam, 
British Columbia. 

This is a harsh reminder of the dangers of being an Aboriginal woman in 
Canada and it demonstrates the necessity of this powerful campaign. 

"Sisters in Spirit" is a campaign being launched by NWAC to raise 
awareness of the 500 missing or murdered Aboriginal women in Canada. The
 one-year, national campaign will be launched on March 22nd, 2004. It 
calls on the federal government to establish a $10 million fund to 
support research and education related to violence against Aboriginal 
women. 

The research will document the number of and circumstances around the 
missing or killed Aboriginal women. A public education process will 
enhance understanding of the underlying causes of violence against 
Aboriginal women. 

NWAC would like to see educational workshops on the missing women and 
their families, and the creation of a hotline and registry to report 
disappearances and register statistics. 

"This is an outrage", said Terri Brown, President of NWAC, "even as we 
issue this press release, families are giving notice that their 
daughters are 
missing, and are seeking the public's help to find them. These families 
live 
in constant fear and uncertainty until they find out what happened to 
their 
loved ones." 

Brown further stated, "First and foremost, we remember the spirit of our
 
sisters and their families left behind to grieve and mourn the loss of 
their 
loved ones. This is one of the darkest periods in the history of 
colonialism. 
However, we are not alone because we have the support of each other and 
that of our ancestors on the other side." 

NWAC has the support of the United and Anglican Churches of Canada, the 
ecumenical coalition KAIROS, the Law Commission of Canada and Amnesty 
International. These groups have provided the initial funding and in-kind
 assistance to produce information for distribution across the country. 

NWAC's regional groups will hold demonstrations or campaigns in memory 
of the missing and murdered women in their own regions. NWAC is asking 
every person, community and organization in Canada, who is concerned 
with this human rights violation against Aboriginal women, to take the 
time to join in the campaign. 

They may contact the Sisters in Spirit campaign by calling 
1-800-461-4043, ext. 229 or by email at sistersinspirit at nwac-hq.org. 

For further information: contact the Sisters in Spirit campaign by 
calling 1-800-461-4043, ext. 229 or by email: sistersinspirit at nwac-hq.org




  




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