March 21, 2023 | Author: Isabella Wen Editor: Ruonan Zhao Photographer: Nicole Wu
“Indigenous women are 4.5 times more likely to be murdered than all other women in Canada and they are 17 times more likely to be murdered on a street, highway or road.”
- Grace Lore, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity
A dark highway lit up by cars | taken by: Nicole Wu
The Highway of Tears, also known as Highway 16, stretches between Prince George and Prince Rupert in British Columbia. This highway, is home to countless Aboriginal women who have gone missing or were murdered.
In 2016, Centers for Disease Control released causes of death for Aboriginal women. Astonishingly, homicide was the 3rd leading cause. Spreading like a plague, violence against Indigenous people in BC has skyrocketed.
The misreport of these crimes condones criminals to act even more ferociously. RCMPs report deaths to be fewer than 18 on the highway of tears, but Aboriginal organizations such as Justice4Tears estimate more than 50 as of 2017. On a national scale, Native Women’s Association of Canada estimates 4,000 women missing per year, with most of these cases unsolved. Not only are these cases unsolved, but also barely investigated due to the systemic racism embedded into the legal justice system. Because this secluded highway is mostly traveled and occupied by Indigenous people, police don’t prioritize the examination despite the severity of these cases. The Highway of Tears tragedy and other similar cases are proof of the systemic racism Aboriginals face.
Women who want to travel to and from their homes only have one path to do so. Indigenous peoples are constrained to live in secluded areas, therefore unable to have the same level of safety that other regular citizens, living in well-developed areas have. With no ways of transportation apart from the isolated path, it sets the basis for these tragedies to occur so prominently in their communities. These issues are the main causes for the Highway of Tears, one of the tragedies that sparked the Missing Murdered Indigenous Women movement (MMIW).
Highway facing the mountains | taken by: Nicole Wu
Although the kidnappings and homicides of the Highway of Tears happened primarily in the 1980s and early 2000s, the tragedy brought attention to not only the violence against Aboriginal women in highway 16’s area, but the unfair, ignorant treatment of Aboriginal women in all of Canada.
Media coverage for Aboriginal women are significantly less in quantity and quality compared to investigations for missing people of other races. Kristen Gilchrist’s study, “Newsworthy Victims?”, brings up the portrayal of missing Aboriginal women versus white women in media. Gilchrist argues that articles about missing white women are often longer and more detailed, and read as intimate and sympathetic.
“Lives were not similarly celebrated, and their deaths not equally grieved. This is a precarious space that can have dangerous implications for the safety and well-being of [Indigenous] women across Canada.”
- Kristen Gilchrist, Newsworthy Victims?
Articles about missing Aboriginal women were significantly shorter and felt disconnected and lacking in detail, clearly indicating the lack of effort and attention being put into Indigenous issues.
Today, there are many grassroots organizations fighting for change and spreading awareness for #MMIW such as Native Women's Wilderness and Indigenous Women Hike Carrier Sekani Family Services who run a Highway of Tears Violence Prevention, Support and Awareness Program which organized a Cleansing Walk. The Cleansing Walk was meant to show respect for the Indigenous women who suffered violence on the highway, and raise awareness for the MMIW movement.
The walk was led by Brenda Wilson who’s 16 year old sister was the victim of an unsolved case in Smithers, BC, 1995. Although the case happened over a decade ago, it remains more relevant than ever with many similar cases across Canada, with BC being the most prominent.
A quote from Brenda from CBC News’ Cleansing Walk article calls for change.
"And some of the things with the government have changed. They're starting to recognize the work that needs to be done in a lot of our communities between Prince George and Prince Rupert. This is Northern British Columbia. We need to be in the forefront. We can no longer be silenced. We need to be a part of British Columbia."
In 2022, British Columbia’s government released news about the unveiling of a monument on Highway 16 by the Prince George Red Dress Society. This was a place for the community to remember the stories of these women. Action plans such as A Path Forward, are developed to address and prevent tragedies like the Highway of tears. To prevent the injustices Indigenous women, and other minorities face, we must take actions in our own communities.
Crossing the bridge inside car view | taken by: Nicole Wu