Violence against indigenous women and girls will be highlighted at the United Nations this summer.
The BC Assembly of First Nations and the Union of BC Indian Chiefs are named in a joint statement calling for the implementation of three recommendations.
One is to ensure the national inquiry on missing indigenous women and girls has an adequate time frame to ensure ‘a thorough and effective examination and for affected families to be heard,’ according to the joint statement.
They’re also recommending the inquiry work in collaboration with women’s indigenous groups to address gaps in support services.
“Including increasing the numbers of shelters in indigenous communities and increasing supports, including supports to capacity, operations, and maintenance, to all
shelters serving indigenous women.
And the third is to make sure a national action plan is developed “informed by existing reports and studies on violence against Indigenous women and girls and able to respond to the interim and final reports of the National Inquiry.”
The inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls made a visit to Smithers last week.
They were meeting with some families and laying the groundwork for hearings scheduled in September.
With files from Daryl Vandenberg, MyBulkleyLakesNow.com