‘Breaking the silence’: Saskatoon gathers to raise awareness on Red Dress Day

WATCH: Saskatoon marks Red Dress Day, as families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls continue to live with the pain every day.

People came together in Saskatoon to break the silence and honour missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two spirit peoples on Monday.

The City of Saskatoon held events to raise awareness about Red Dress Day. But dealing with the pain of a missing loved one is an everyday ordeal for some.

“It is for advocates like myself and our women’s group,” said Darlene Okemaysim-Sicotte, co-chair of Iskwewuk E-wichiwitochik (Women Walking Together). “That every day there are missing people.”

In the morning, around a dozen organizations gathered at the Cosmo Civic Centre in Saskatoon for knowledge sharing.

The Assembly of First Nations says Indigenous women make up 16 per cent of all female homicide cases, and 11 per cent of all missing women cases.

“Spreading the awareness of not only today, the actual day of Red Dress Day,” said Shirley Isbister, president of Central Urban Metis Federation Inc. (CUMFI). “But spreading the awareness daily.”

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Local schools took part in the event learning about safety, domestic violence, human trafficking and risk factors.

“For young people like myself, like my age, it kind of makes people more aware of their surroundings, and what’s going on, and day to day life,” said Tatum, a grade 10 student at Estey School.

Okemaysim-Sicotte says while human trafficking isn’t a new issue, it’s important to educate young people.

“It’s been around forever, but the focus has been on the triangle areas of Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba,” she said.

“So what we’re trying to teach young people is how to be safe, check in with each other, and no one’s ever too young to learn. I have three grandsons that are 10, 6, and 4. And they’re all wearing red t-shirts today, and they’re going to have a walk at their school.”

Isbister says a big part of families’ pain is not knowing what happened to their loved one. But when the silence is broken, like in the case of Megan Gallagher, the pain can be eased.

“You look at the Megan Gallagher case, the silence was broken,” said Isbister. “And Megan was brought home. Not the way the family would have wanted, but they brought her home. Sent her off in the right way. So I think that’s the feelings of the families, just, you need to know.”

Isbister says families need something of a one-stop shop to go to where they can be updated on their loved one’s missing persons case.

“So that families have a place to come, that they can be updated all the time,” she said. “What’s happening in the case with their child missing, for example? Because I know as a parent, you know, I have Indigenous children. And I’m always worried about this sort of thing happening, and I live with that fear.”

Students from local schools took part in the event learning about safety, domestic violence, human trafficking and risk factors.

“I think for young people like my age, it kind of makes people more aware of their surroundings, and what’s going on, and day to day life,” said Tatum, a grade ten student at Estey School.

“Just kind of explore, be curious, and listen,” said Blake, a grade ten student at Estey.

Later in the afternoon, residents gathered at the Saskatoon Police Headquarters for the Red Dress Day Walk.