Voices of Our Sisters In Spirit: A Research and Policy Report to Families and Communities
From the Native Women's Association of Canada ...
Voices of Our Sisters In Spirit: A Research and Policy Report to Families and Communities
President’s Acknowledgements
President Beverley Jacobs, on behalf of the Board of Directors and staff of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, wishes to thank and honour the family members who are participating in the Sisters In Spirit initiative for their courage and generosity in sharing the stories of their daughters, sisters, mothers and grandmothers. Their vision, strength and commitment enable NWAC to move forward with this important work.
President Jacobs also extends thanks to all those other individuals who have contributed their time, effort and knowledge to investigating the root causes, circumstances and trends associated with the issue of racialized, sexualized violence against Aboriginal women and girls. Their efforts to understand this issue and to identify strategies and measures that will increase the safety of Aboriginal women and girls in Canada are much appreciated.
President Jacobs acknowledges the guidance and advice of the Elders and other spiritual leaders who have assisted participating families, individuals and staff who have worked on this difficult initiative. She also thanks the Aboriginal communities for their support, and other stakeholders for their engagement in dealing with this issue.
Introduction
The Sisters In Spirit initiative is a multi-year research, education and policy initiative funded by Status of Women Canada. The initiative is designed to address the disturbing numbers of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls in Canada. Through the Sisters In Spirit initiative, the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) aims to better understand racialized, sexualized violence against Aboriginal women and girls. This knowledge assists NWAC and other stakeholders to understand the root causes of this violence and identify measures to increase the safety of Aboriginal women and girls. Through the Sisters In Spirit initiative, NWAC works to honour the women and girls who have been lost to violence and remember those still missing.
This Sisters In Spirit Report to Families and Communities summarizes information gained through interviews with participating families about their missing or murdered loved ones, as well as demographic and statistical research. The interviews use a story telling methodology based on a life cycle approach to share the life stories of these Aboriginal women and girls. The investment of family members and NWAC staff in building authentic and sincere relationships adheres to the ethical requirements of conducting research in an Aboriginal context. In this report the life stories are placed within the broader framework of other work conducted through the Sisters In Sprit initiative and serve to confirm conclusions based on other research, illustrate common themes, inform policy recommendations and to identify future directions for further investigation. Addressed to family and community members, this report represents NWAC’s commitment to sharing our work with those most intimately concerned with this important issue.