Between 1978 and 2002, nearly seventy sex-trade workers disappeared from Vancouver’s
Downtown Eastside, many of whom were Indigenous. During the 1990s,
British Columbia’s Highway 16 became known as the "
Highway of Tears" after more than thirty-two Indigenous women and girls had been reported either missing or dead. Indigenous groups and organizations, including the families and friends of victims, increasingly began making public calls for action to address the issue of
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada. One of the organizations leading those calls was the NWAC. The NWAC is a non-profit organization run by Indigenous women. It was established in 1974 to focus on sex discrimination resulting from the
Indian Act and Indigenous women’s interests that were not being addressed by other Aboriginal organizations. In 2002, the NWAC submitted a report to the
United Nations describing the devaluation of Indigenous women in Canada, noting cases where Indigenous women were victims of violence. The report identified systemic oppression and economic marginalization of Indigenous communities, female members in particular, as causes for the violence. Such conditions were fostered and reinforced by government policies and indifference from police and society as a whole. As a result, Indigenous women are more likely to live in poverty and resort to working in the sex trade.
Campaign/Initiative In March 2004, the NWAC launched a one-year “Sisters in Spirit” campaign to not only draw more public attention to the issue of violence toward Indigenous women, but secure government funding for a multi-year project to study the problem. The aims of Sisters in Spirit were to establish a reliable estimate of the total number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada, share some of the victim’s life stories, determine the root causes of the violence, and identify measures to increase the safety of Indigenous women. In November 2008, Sisters in Spirit released its initial report, titled “Voices of Our Sisters in Spirit: A Report to Families and Communities,” followed by a second edition published in 2009. The methodology and framework utilized for the Sisters in Spirit research was a combination of quantitative statistical research analysis and qualitative “community based research framework” focusing on stories shared by victim’s families and friends. It also included community educational tool kits and safety measures for Indigenous women, and outreach support for victim’s families and communities. The report included policy recommendations to implement culturally appropriate services for Indigenous female police officers, enhanced protection for the rights of sex trade workers, and education programs on the history and impact of colonialism and marginalization. In March 2010, Sisters in Spirit released a second report titled “What Their Stories Tell Us,” which further detailed the history and impact of colonization on Indigenous women and identified 582 women or girls had been missing or murdered in Canada. When the initial five year funding allotment for Sisters in Spirit ended in 2010, the federal government opted not to allocate new funds to the project. As a result, the Sisters in Spirit research initiative "officially ended on 31 March 2010." In February 2011, the federal government reached a new funding agreement with the NWAC, providing just under two million dollars over three years for a new project called "Evidence to Action." Critics of the changes highlighted the funding shortfall and a watering down of the Sisters in Spirit initiative's breadth of work. == Legacy ==