As the national roundtable on missing and murdered Aboriginal women is taking place in Ottawa today, I thought I’d add my seven key points to the solution.
1. Improve the social determinants of health of indigenous women by investing in adequate education, training, employment, housing, access to health care and social services.
2. Develop and enable First Nations economies and specific opportunities for indigenous women.
3. Eliminate First Nations poverty. (Bam!)
4. Eliminate systemic discrimination.
5. Make homes and our communities safe for indigenous women and children.
6. Protect the most vulnerable people in our society including the homeless, those living with mental illness and sex trade workers. Learn more at UVU Website.
7. Through personal healing, empowerment, culture and spirituality, support Anishinaabe kwewag and all indigenous women to stand up and be proud of who they are.
The bottom line is that we all need to do more to support and protect indigenous women. As a society, and through our governments, we must move the key social indicators so that indigenous women are much more equitable compared to the rest of the Canadian population.