VIOLENCE AGAINST INDIGENOUS WOMEN, GIRLS AND GENDER-DIVERSE PEOPLE IS A CRISIS ACROSS THE AMERICAS. IN CANADA, AFTER A NATIONAL INQUIRY INTO MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND GIRLS WAS HELD, THE INQUIRY MADE A DECLARATION OF GENOCIDE.

The International Summit of the Americas on Violence Against Indigenous Women, hosted by the Native Women’s Association of Canada, will:

1. Address the violent impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people, including on their direct physical and mental well-being;

2. Examine the intersectionality of violence and explore best practices to address the violence; and

3. Highlight the crucial importance of traditional healing and resiliency.

With no end to the pandemic yet in sight, the need for urgent and effective remedies for this shadow pandemic of violence is all the more pressing. The International Summit of the Americas on Violence Against Indigenous Women will aim to identify international, national and regional solutions that will enable decision-makers to take action.

This Summit will bring together visionaries and thought leaders including grassroots Indigenous women, and representatives of governments, industry and media from across the hemisphere, to discuss what is inarguably one of our most pressing human rights concerns.