Red dresses hang in Vernon for Murdered and Missing Women Inquiry

VERNON – A string of more than 40 red dresses were hung around Vernon's Justice Park today, June 26, as the Okanagan Indian Band   honoured murdered and missing indigenous women and girls.

The 'See me, Hear me, Remember me' event attracted several dozen people to the park.

Okanagan Indian Band member and event organizer Glenda Louis said the display coincides with the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which will come to an end June 30.

"(The) See me, Hear me, Remember me, red dress campaigns … continues to bring more attention to this issue," Louis said. "People will come and hang red dresses in honour of someone… that impacted them through their family or their friends."

Louis said over 1,000 indigenous women had gone missing and these were just the "known ones."

"Not all those that go missing are reported," she said.

"The girls and the women who are missing they still need to come home, without somebody providing that voice for them their voices go unheard," Louis said.

Louis said the National Inquiry put forward 231 recommendations, and as it is about to end it remains important to keep the issue in the public eye.

"We still need to push, and we still need to support, and we still need to continue to have rallies, and we need to support women," Louis said.

Along with the event at Justice Park, further events were scheduled to take place at Komasket Park in the afternoon and evening June 26.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Ben Bulmer or call (250) 309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.