Communities across Canada this week commemorated Red Dress Day.
May 5 is the annual day set aside to raise awareness and remember the thousands of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People.
Hundreds took part in ceremonies, creative activities and educational exhibits to honor the lives and legacies of Indigenous women and girls.
Events also included drum groups, throat singers, a sacred fire, honor songs and, as a symbol, the wearing of a red dress. People gathered in cities and towns for the 15th anniversary of Red Dress Day.
Mary Daoust, the co-chair of the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition, said they’ve come to heal and to remember and honor those who died and disappeared.
"Their voices can no longer be heard," she said. "But they can be heard through us. And that’s why we’re here today, is to speak and honor, and respect the ones that didn’t have those voices and the ones that went missing, and the ones that aren’t coming home. That we are still here and we have not forgotten them."
Marches and vigils were held across the country, including on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The red dress came to symbolize the crisis of missing and murdered women and girls and to raise awareness of the violence faced by Indigenous women across Canada.
The National Assembly of First Nations said Indigenous women are four times more likely to be murdered or end up missing than non-Indigenous women.
"Even though they might be gone, they need to know that we remember them," said Nicole DiMartino, a member of the Mi’kmaw and Choctaw Nation. "And we also need to bring awareness to the rest of the world that this is happening and we won’t stand by. We are aware of it. We are going to try our best to put a stop to it."
Some advocates say the growth of Red Dress Day is proof their voices are powerful and being heard.
Five years ago, a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls issued 231 calls to action. But some organizations say only two of those calls have been implemented.
