Iskweu Project

OUR MISSION

The Iskweu Project is an initiative by the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal. The Project wishes to respond to an immediate need for assistance expressed by families and loved ones in cases where an Indigenous woman or girl (trans, two -spirit) goes missing.

Our aim is reducing and ultimately eradicating the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (trans, two-spirit) in Quebec; to offer support and ensure adequate response from institutions when someone goes missing. As part of this work, we also support Indigenous women, girls, trans, and 2-Spirit people who are facing violence and who may be at risk of going missing or being murdered. We seek to reduce barriers in accessing support and receiving an adequate response from institutions that have historically discriminated against Indigenous peoples.

WHAT IS THE MMIWG2S+ CRISIS?

Violence against Indigenous women, girls, trans, and 2-Spirit people is a recurrent theme in Canada’s colonial history. The context of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, trans, and 2-Spirit people interlocks with the trauma lived by Indigenous peoples and the various attempts by the government to assimilate them.

For more than 30 years, families, organizations and activists have been asking previous governments and the public to bring light to this national crisis that continues to affect Indigenous women, girls, trans, and 2-Spirit people today.

Through our work over the past 7 years, the Iskweu Project has identified certain vulnerabilities that increase the risk of Indigenous women, girls, trans, and 2-Spirit people going missing. These include:

• Being unhoused

• Being involved in the sex industry/sex trade

• Having issues with addiction

• Facing violence

• Having mental health issues

The following are also predictors of homicide in the context of family violence (Campbell, 2003, updated 2019): 

• Violence where strangulation is present

• Violence where weapons are present

• Violence where there have been threats to kill, particularly threats of being killed if the partner were to leave

• Situations of violence where there is a high presence of control and monitoring of movements

• Situations where the person facing violence is also pregnant

• Situations where the abusive partner has made threats or attempts at suicide

If you are experiencing any of these forms of violence, please reach out to SOS Violence Conjugale at: 1-800-363-9010 or visit: SOS violence conjugale 

You can also call the Home - Hope for Wellness Helpline at 1-855-242-3310 or chat online with a counselor via their website.

It is also important to note that during the National Inquiry on MMIWG2S+, it was revealed that homicides of Indigenous women, girls, trans, and 2-Spirit people take place under a variety of circumstances and methods, and there is no singular profile that can reflect the complexities of all of these cases.

The lack of proper responses, resources and practices put into place specifically to help and protect Indigenous women, girls, trans, and 2-Spirit people contribute to this ongoing issue. Police throughout Canada and Quebec have, in many instances, failed in their police practices which has heavily contributed to this social crisis.

THE PROJECT GOALS ARE:

• To make sure that police file a report and do a proper investigation in cases where an Indigenous woman, girl, trans, or 2-Spirit person goes missing or is murdered

• To ensure that the police adopt best practices in responding to this crisis

• To assist families, friends, and community members when an Indigenous woman, girl, trans, or 2-Spirit person goes missing or is murdered and to ensure that they have the emotional support during this very difficult time

• To implement prevention strategies within a harm reduction model with the community and community partners in situations where an Indigenous woman, girl, trans, or 2-Spirit person is facing violence

PROJECT COORDINATOR ROLE

The Project Coordinator is responsible for providing ongoing support and assistance directly to families and survivors of the MMIWG2S+ crisis. These services include:

• Responding in situations where an Indigenous woman, girl, trans, or 2-Spirit person is missing or murdered

• Liaising between families and police in situations where an Indigenous woman, girl, trans, or 2-Spirit person is missing or murdered

• Providing crisis and emotional support to families and friends of MMIWG2S+

• Accompanying families of MMIWG2S+ through the process of reporting to police and any legal proceedings

• Providing advocacy on behalf of families of MMIWG2S+

• Responding in situations of sexual violence, human trafficking, and intimate partner violence against Indigenous women, girls, trans, and 2-Spirit people; connecting survivors to appropriate resources

• Ongoing safety planning with Indigenous women, girls, trans, and 2-Spirit people in situations of violence; where necessary, liaising with police

• Providing regular street outreach to Indigenous survivors of violence in situations of homelessness

• Assisting Indigenous women, girls, trans, and 2-Spirit people who are survivors of violence in navigating systems of support

COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND RESOURCE COORDINATOR ROLE

In July 2024, the Iskweu Team expanded to include a third staff member, to focus on building our community relations with: partnering organizations, stakeholders in MMIWG2S+ prevention and intervention, as well as to support pre-existing and new relationships with MMIWG2S+ families, loved ones, and survivors. This role also exists to coordinate resources to directly support folks at risk of becoming MMIWG2S+, families, loved ones, and survivors, for the purposes of prevention, intervention, healing, and justice, and to coordinate resources for the purposes of building the capacity of Iskweu and the capacity of our community relations to respond to the MMIWG2S+ crisis in a meaningful, ethical, and effective way. 

Some examples of the specific tasks involved in this role include:

• Engage with local organizations to ensure alignment with efforts to prevent MMIWG2S+ incidents

• Advocate for the implementation of Calls for Justice by community organizations

• Forge connections with nationwide organizations with MMIWG2S+ mandates to gather best practices and implement them in Quebec

• Establish and maintain a comprehensive database of emergency resources for MMIWG2S+ individuals, victims of violence, and those at risk of facing violence

• Attend all Iskweu rallies, marches, and host the National Day of Remembrance on May 5th

• Represent the Iskweu Project at city meetings pertaining to cohabitation, MMIWG2S+ issues, and other relevant stakeholder gatherings

RESEARCH COORDINATOR ROLE

As the demand for assistance of MMIWG2S+ is continuously needed, the Iskweu project is creating a database for MMIWG2S+ and adding a research coordinator for this purpose. The role of the research coordinator also includes:

• Data collection of 30 communities across the province of Quebec on the number of women identified by the communities as MMIWG2S+.

• Participate on national reading committees of the MMIWG2S inquiry report/recommendations and put together work groups to put into action certain recommendations in the Montreal area.

• Assist Iskweu coordinator in planning for February 14th and October 4th vigils, as well as other rallies.

• Develop and distribute educational material on MMIWG2ST+.

• Distribute toolkits to Indigenous women coming to Montreal.

PUBLICATIONS

• Tukkiapik family statement on the death of Alasie Tukkiapik

• Iskweu statement on the intersection of MMIWG2S+ crisis and the opioid crisis

We hope to set a precedent for best practices in responding to this crisis.

REFERENCES

• Jacquelyn C. Campbell, Ph.D., R.N. Copyright, 2003; update 2019; www.dangerassessment.com