[Wamvan] Release: Groups in Missing Women’s Inquiry Pressure Premier Clark to Ensure Access and Justice

[Harsha W.]

http://womensmemorialmarch.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/participant-groups-in-missing-women%e2%80%99s-inquiry-pressure-premier-clark-to-ensure-access-and-justice/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ATTENTION: ALL NEWS EDITORS

Participant Groups in the Missing Women’s Inquiry Pressure Premier Clark
to Ensure Access and Justice

Press Conference on National Aboriginal Day Tuesday June 21 at 9:30 am
Aboriginal Front Door, 384 Main Street (corner Hastings)

June 20, Vancouver Coast Salish Territories – A coalition of Downtown
Eastside, women’s, Aboriginal and advocacy organizations are strongly
condemning the BC government’s decision to not grant the resources
necessary to ensure their meaningful participation in the Missing Women’s
Inquiry.

The groups have written a joint letter to Premier Christy Clark, stating
that “This denial of resources denies due process and denies the
possibility of meaningful participation by the women most affected -
particularly Aboriginal women living and working in extreme poverty - by
the deaths and disappearances of women who were their friends and family.”

The groups issuing the letter include:
- February 14th Women’s Memorial March Committee and DTES Women’s Centre
- WISH Drop In Centre, PACE Society, and DTES Sex Workers United Against
Violence
- Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users
- Union of BC Indian Chiefs and Carrier Sekani Tribal Council
- Women’s Equality and Security Coalition
- West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund and Ending Violence
Association of BC
- Pivot Legal Society and BC Civil Liberties Association

The groups are holding a press conference on Tuesday June 21st at the
Aboriginal Front Door to demand that the provincial government overturn
its decision. The groups are calling on Premier Clark to make this Public
Inquiry accessible to the public, particularly to women, Downtown Eastside
residents, Aboriginal communities, and others who have critical
information.  The groups and community have been demanding an inquiry for
decades but were consistently ignored, and are now being marginalized and
shut out again.

In their letter to Christy Clark, the groups further state that “Without
the participation of Downtown Eastside women and the groups granted
standing, there is serious doubt cast on the proceedings as they are not
representative of the parties involved. What is the benefit of having the
RCMP and the VPD rehash what happened solely from their perspective? It is
vital to this Inquiry that the voices of women and the community be front
and centre when determining its recommendations. It is unconscionable that
BC Government is demonstrating the same dismissive attitude as the very
institutions being investigated in this Inquiry for the deaths and
disappearances of women.”

- 30 –

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Alice Kendall 604 681 8480 x 223 (Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre) Kate
Gibson 604 436 4594 (Coalition of sex worker serving organizations) Mona
Woodward 778 241 8440 (Feb 14th Women’s Memorial Committee) Doug King 778
898 6349 (PIVOT Legal Society)
Ann Livingston 604 719 5313 (VANDU)
Terry Teegee 250 562 6279 (Carrier Sekani)
Kasari Grover 604 684 8772 x 212 (West Coast LEAF)
Shelagh Day 604 872 0750 (Women’s Equality and Security Coalition)



-- 
Harsha Walia

https://twitter.com/HarshaWalia
https://www.facebook.com/nooneisillegal
http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/author/dtes-power-women-group