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

For more than three decades, Valentine含羞草研究社檚 Day in Vancouver含羞草研究社檚 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含羞草研究社檚 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含羞草研究社檚 remains were discovered.

含羞草研究社淚f you rewind it 20 years ago, Cindy was the one that brought us here,含羞草研究社� 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.

含羞草研究社淭his is important for me, because the murdered and missing Indigenous women started going missing in, probably, 1970,含羞草研究社� said Sheridan. 含羞草研究社淔ast forward to 2024, and it hasn含羞草研究社檛 slowed down.含羞草研究社�

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含羞草研究社檚 population, Statistics Canada reads, while accounting for between five and seven per cent of victims.

含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檓 highly aware that my granddaughter can go missing because she含羞草研究社檚 Indigenous,含羞草研究社� said Sheradan. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 about my daughter going missing because she含羞草研究社檚 Indigenous, because she含羞草研究社檚 a woman, because she含羞草研究社檚 a female.含羞草研究社�

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

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 very uplifting, very uplifting and positive,含羞草研究社� said Williams of the Memorial March. 含羞草研究社淭o come and support one another.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淚ndigenous women are not valued as women in a place where it含羞草研究社檚 our land,含羞草研究社� said Williams. 含羞草研究社淲e should be standing together to stop that.含羞草研究社�

Carol Martin has worked in the DTES women含羞草研究社檚 centre and been involved in the Memorial March since it began.

含羞草研究社淲omen still to this day continue to go missing, nothing has really changed,含羞草研究社� said Martin.

含羞草研究社淭his whole platform is to bring awareness that things haven含羞草研究社檛 changed for us Indigenous women, our sacred givers of life. They含羞草研究社檙e to be honored, they含羞草研究社檙e to be respected.含羞草研究社�

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

含羞草研究社淲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,含羞草研究社� said Martin.

含羞草研究社淚 think at birth, we含羞草研究社檙e at a high-risk,含羞草研究社� Martin added, 含羞草研究社渓ifestyle as Indigenous women.含羞草研究社�

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.

含羞草研究社淲here含羞草研究社檚 the response from the government?含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淭he work is not being put into place to make those changes, and it needs to happen soon.含羞草研究社�

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

含羞草研究社淗ow do we start peeling those layers back and really taking a look at how humanity has treated our Indigenous women and girls,含羞草研究社� said Sheridan.

含羞草研究社淲e have to stop them from going missing,含羞草研究社� added Sheradin. 含羞草研究社淗ow do we put the face of humanity on each Indigenous woman and girl so they含羞草研究社檙e not looked at as something to be killed and discarded?含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淚f we stand in solidarity, we become a louder voice,含羞草研究社� she continued. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 not just one voice or thousands of voices, this march is sending out a message across Canada.含羞草研究社�

Sheridan hopes that in her granddaughter含羞草研究社檚 life she sees changes and that there no longer Indigenous people going missing and being murdered.

含羞草研究社淚 see that hope is still surviving, and hoping to find justice for what happened to the women - especially at the Pickton farm,含羞草研究社� said Carol, as she explained the yellow roses used in the march represent hope.

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