Message for National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people
The subject matter in this message is upsetting. The following support services are available.
Students
- The First Nations Centre (Roxanne Umpherville, Aboriginal Student Life Navigator at 250-960-5010) and 蹤獲扞⑹ Counselling Services (250-960-6369) provide programming and support.
- 蹤獲扞⑹ students can also access , a 24/7 counselling and community referral service.
Employees
-
蹤獲扞⑹ employees can access the Employee and Family Assistance Program at 1-800-663-1142 for 24/7 access to confidential, professional counselling services.
Good morning,
Today marks the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
Last week, in the lead-up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, 蹤獲扞⑹ hosted multiple events that signal our commitment to Reconciliation and doing more as a community to support that journey.
Yet todays designation is a reminder that the act of Reconciliation is not a day or a week of action; it requires renewed commitments from each of us, every day, to learn, reflect and act.
According to the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations, Indigenous women are at least 5.5 times more likely to be murdered than non-Indigenous women. Factors that play a significant role in this horrific statistic include: colonial policies - residential schools, 60s Scoop, forced relocation, proximity to work camps, racism, historical and ongoing trauma, and social-economic disparities. In addition, emerging data and reports have shown violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people have increased during the pandemic.
To learn more, I encourage you to read the . You can also read the , and an excellent list of additional resources is available on the 蹤獲扞⑹ .
In addition to the resources listed above, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Crisis Line is available to provide emotional support and crisis referral services to individuals impacted by the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals. Call the toll-free Crisis Line at 1-844-413-6649. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Thank you,
Geoff Payne
蹤獲扞⑹ President and Vice-Chancellor