Native Women's Association of Canada to host "Knowledge to Action" day

OTTAWA, March 31 /CNW Telbec/ - On March 31, 2010 the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) will host a "Knowledge to Action" day in Ottawa, with the objective of sharing research and identifying action related to missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls in Canada.

The daylong affair will engage experts in the discussion of violence and victimization of Aboriginal women, and the critical issue of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls in Canada. The event will begin with focused presentations on current research findings produced by NWAC's Sisters in Spirit (SIS) initiative, and will allow discussion with participants to identify how NWAC can move forward with key stakeholders to enhance evidence-informed decision making.

NWAC President Jeannette Corbiere Lavelle welcomes this "Knowledge to Action" day, and sees it as an opportunity to sharing of knowledge and engage in healthy discussion between policy makers, decision makers, researchers, police services representatives, community members, and/or key stakeholders on how to move forward and address the issue of violence and missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada.

"By engaging with all stakeholders who have vested interests in the wellbeing of Aboriginal women in Canada, we can begin to move from evidence to action. These are the types of conversations we need to have in order to act on behalf of the hundreds of women who have gone missing or are found murdered," says President Jeannette Corbiere Lavelle.

Since 2005, NWAC has received funding from Status of Women Canada to identify root causes, trends and circumstances of violence that have led to disappearance and death of Aboriginal women and girls. To date, NWAC has worked to provide evidence of more than 520 missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada, as well as find opportunities to support families, engage communities, work with service providers, as well as the police and justice systems and in collaboration with Aboriginal organizations, human rights organizations, and the federal government to raise awareness and address violence, which leads to disappearance and death. The support of Minister Guergis (Status of Women) has been an important part of this success to date.

The "Knowledge to Action" Day will feature highlights from SIS research findings 2010, a reflection on the past 5 years of SIS research, education and policy, and presentations by Dr. Mark Totten on Gangs, Girls, and Exploitation and Marlyn Bennett and Wendy Thomas of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society who will discuss Links to the Child Welfare System -Attendance for the "Knowledge to Action" is by invitation only.

For further information: Andrea Ruttan, M.A., Communications Advisor, Phone: [phone], Mobile: [phone], Email: [email protected]