Indigenous groups unveil plan for MMIWG2S+ national database

Four Indigenous organizations are partnering to create the first national database of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse people.

“[Today is] a day of awareness for people across Canada to acknowledge the violence, injustice and ongoing genocide perpetrated against First Nations, Métis and Inuit women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse peoples,” Nikki Komaksiutiksak, president and CEO of Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, said at a news conference at the parliamentary press gallery in Ottawa on Monday.

The announcement by Komaksiutiksak, alongside representatives from three other organizations representing Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse people, was held on the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People, also known as Red Dress Day.

Without a national database, information is incomplete, Komaksiutiksak said. Incidents involving Indigenous people occur six times more often than with non-Indigenous people, according to Statistics Canada, she added.

“If we can better inform and change the way the community and public thinks about the crisis, then we are in a better position to advocate for systemic and policy changes,” Komaksiutiksak said.

From left, Shelagh Roxburgh, project lead at Pauktuutit Women of Canada; Nikki Komaksiutiksak, president and CEO of Pauktuutit; Kristen Gilchrist, director of MMIWG2S initiatives at Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak; Imriel Bissnette, national research co-ordinator for 2 Spirits in Motion Society; and Cora McGuire-Cyrette, CEO of the Ontario Native Women’s Association, speak to reporters in Ottawa Monday.. (Photo by Jorge Antunes)

The final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was released in 2019. Komaksiutiksak called its 231 calls for justice a roadmap to end the crisis, but said that so far only two have been implemented.

“The rates of violence, disappearance and murders remain unchanged,” she said.

“Ending this genocide requires more than empty promises.”

The database project aims to give a voice to Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people so they can “fight back against the marginalization of this crisis.”

Komaksiutiksak couldn’t say how many names have been collected so far.

The data is being collected from multiple public sources, said project lead Shelagh Roxburgh, manager of violence, abuse prevention and justice at Pauktuutit.

“We have been doing Inuit data collection within generalized sources at this stage, and over the next year we will be doing community outreach,” she said.

“Part of announcing this project is expanding a collection process, reaching out to partners and reaching out to organizations across the region and across Inuit Nunangat.”

Roxburgh said there have been challenges in obtaining data specifically on Inuit.

“It’s a lack of identification, it’s a lack of representation in statistics or not aggregating Indigenous to include Inuit,” she said.

Currently, the work is being done broadly. Over time, the project will get more detailed, for instance looking at the impact on people when they are forced to leave home to access medical services elsewhere.

Roxburgh said they hope to have a public-facing database available in six to eight months, but the timeline depends on the complexity and types of data they collect.

“Our goal is to drive data-informed social and policy change and address systemic factors impacting First Nation, Métis and Inuit women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse peoples,” said Kristen Gilchrist, director of MMMIWG2S+ initiatives at Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak, a national organization representing Métis women.

“It’s time to end this genocide.”

The organizers are actively looking for more partners in developing the database. More information can be found at the Pauktuutit website.