How missing Indigenous women could be saved with ‘Red Dress Alert’

One Winnipeg MP is calling for a system, similar to the existing Amber Alerts, to be established to notify the public about missing Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.

“We currently have crisis of violence against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people in this country. Something that our current prime minister acknowledged was a genocide”, said Leah Gazan, Winnipeg Centre MP and NDP critic for women and gender equality, at a news conference on Wednesday .

“We know, since the pandemic there has been a drastic increase of violence against women, particularly Indigenous girls and two-spirit people (MMIWG2S). In any event, a loved one goes missing, response time is far too slow. Every moment we wait, another women is missing or murdered. We need immediate action.”

Gazan believes that a ‘Red Dress Alert’ could make a difference, as early alert programs have been proven to be effective.

“In Ontario, police say more than 90 per cent of Amber Alerts lead to safe recovery of children. Sixty per cent of missing adult reports in 2021 were removed within 24 hours, while 89 per cent were removed within a week.”

According to Gazan, Indigenous families and advocates came up with the idea of ‘Red Dress Alert’. Now, she is leading the call for the government to respond with action.

Last Friday, the NDP MP penned a letter to Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, urging the federal government to establish the early alert system. Gazan said that “only five per cent of gender-based violence money has been spent yet.”

“A Red Dress Alert, particularly after the murders of Rebecca Contois, Marcedes Myran, Morgan Harris and Buffalo Woman by an alleged serial killer in Winnipeg, is urgently needed,” said Gazan. “We deserve that care and justice.”

Red Dress Day was inspired by Métis, Winnipeg-based artist Jaime Black. Her REDress Project installation began in 2010, when she hung empty red dresses to commemorate missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Red dresses have become symbolic, and the installation has been travelling around Canada, including at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights.