Missing and murdered Aboriginal women symposium

Posted: March 24, 2015 10:45 a.m.

Banner with faces of Aboriginal women missing from Regina.
Banner with faces of Aboriginal women missing from Regina. Photo courtesy of NewsTalk 980 CJME

The University of Regina is hosting a four-day symposium to examine educational issues related to missing and murdered Aboriginal women and develop recommendations to reduce this societal tragedy.

According to a 2013 RCMP report about 1,200 Aboriginal women in Canada have gone missing or have been murdered from 1980 to 2012. Although indigenous women make up 4.3 per cent of the Canadian population, they account for 16 per cent of female homicides and 11.3 per cent of missing women.

“It is only through the heroic persistence of the mothers and relatives of missing and murdered Aboriginal women that the extent of this societal problem has become acknowledged,” says Dr. Shauneen Pete, Associate Professor, Aboriginal Education and Executive Lead – Indigenization with the University. “This symposium recognizes the complexity of this issue, which is woven into the fabric of Canada’s colonial history and governments’ ill-conceived efforts to assimilate Aboriginal peoples, and examines how education is part of the solution.”

The event will include: one-hour panels from faculty on March 24 (1:00 p.m. at FNUniv Student Common Area) and 25 (11:30 a.m. at RC 286, Riddell Centre); a one-hour student panel on March 26 (2:00 p.m. at CW 117, College West Building); and a full-day World Café Event on March 27 (9:00 a.m. at Wesley United Church, 3913 Hillsdale Street).

The first three panels of the symposium will examine how issues related to missing and murdered Aboriginal women are being taught at the University. The final day of the symposium is devoted to what is called a World Café that will bring together participants, community organizations and others to look at efforts to address this issue and come up with recommendations for change.

“The symposium’s focus on what the University is doing – and just as importantly, what more we can do – to help address this issue is critically important and appropriate given the priorities of indigenization and commitment to our communities that are emphasized in our new strategic plan,” says University of Regina President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Vianne Timmons.

For details on the symposium and how you can get involved, please visit:  http://education.uregina.ca/edgradblog/?p=1777

For more information about the new strategic plan visit:  http://www.uregina.ca/strategic-plan/