Forever Loved: Exposing the hidden Crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada

The hidden crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada is both a national tragedy and a national shame. In this ground-breaking new volume, as part of their larger efforts to draw attention to the shockingly high rates of violence against our sisters, Jennifer Brant and D. Memee Lavell-Harvard have pulled together a variety of voices from the academic realms to the grassroots and front-lines to speak on what has been identified by both the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the United Nations as a grave violation of the basic human rights of Aboriginal women and girls. Linking colonial practices with genocide, through their exploration of the current statistics, root causes and structural components of the issue, including conversations on policing, media and education, the contributing authors illustrate the resilience, strength, courage, and spirit of Indigenous women and girls as they struggle to survive in a society shaped by racism and sexism, patriarchy and misogyny. This book was created to honour our missing sisters, their families, their lives and their stories, with the hope that it will offer lessons to non-Indigenous allies and supporters so that we can all work together towards a nation that supports and promotes the safety and well-being of all First Nation, Métis and Inuit women and girls.

Heart wrenching and enlightening at the same time, this book debunks many of the myths that have perpetuated and excused the appalling levels of violence against Indigenous women and girls in Canada. The authors challenge conventional thinking on the nature of so-called high-risk lifestyles, emphasizing the legacy of oppression and the abuse of Indigenous peoples as they make the connection between the history of colonization and genocide and our contemporary experiences of racialized, sexualized violence --Jeannette Corbiere Lavell, Past President of the Native Women's Association of Canada

Tremendously informative work on one of the most pressing issues in Canada today. For those seeking answers on how to address the de- plorable situation of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada, they are here. --Kim Anderson, Indigenous Studies, Wilfrid Laurier

Too many lives have been stolen and too many communities have been destroyed by violence. This volume is both timely and, of course, long overdue. Just as silence and invisibility have allowed the violence to continue, by shining a light on the crisis and bringing awareness to this important issue this collection makes an important contribution towards improving the lives of Indigenous women and girls --National Chief Dwight Dorey Indigenous Peoples Assembly of Canada