Indigenous advocate calls for more support, long-term funding after women killed

The murder of four women – all believed to be Indigenous – shows how much more needs to be done to prevent gender and race-based violence, an Indigenous advocate says.

Winnipeg police charged Jeremy Skibicki, 35, with first-degree murder in the deaths of Morgan Harris, 39, Marcedes Myran, 26, and an unidentified woman. Their bodies have not been found.

Skibicki was arrested and charged May 18 with first-degree murder in the death of Rebecca Contois, 24. Her partial remains were found in a garbage bin near an apartment building and police later found the rest of her remains in a Winnipeg landfill.

Samantha Harris, the director of healing and wellness programs at Ka Ni Kanichihk Inc., says the tragic event has deeply hurt the Indigenous community.

“I think that a lot of people are feeling feelings of re-traumatization of when their loved ones may have been found or discovered,” said Harris. “It always hits hard no matter, knowing that this is coming and knowing that these things have happened to these women. It still hurts and there’s a lot of pain right now in the community and I think all of us are feeling that.

“There’s anger, there’s sadness, rage, disgust, pain.”

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Harris says Manitobans and Canadians as a whole need to join the ongoing fight to keep Indigenous women safe.

“This is happening in our city, this is happening in our country every day, and we need people to support and stand up for the injustices that we see happen to Indigenous women, girls and 2S community,” she said.

Harris says long-term sustainable funding is needed for community organizations that support Indigenous women and families of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

“Offering these safe spaces for our women and our girls to come to and have access to cultural support and access to elders and medicines and even creating again that community of experiencing that trauma and that pain together and being able to come together and support one another.”

WATCH: Inside the apartment building of alleged Winnipeg serial murderer Jeremy Skibicki