‘Crisis’: Calls grow to stem violence against Indigenous women

A red dress to symbolise missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls is seen during a march in Vancouver, Canada, last year [File: Amy Romer/Reuters]

Calls are once again ringing out in Canada and the United States for action to stop violence against Indigenous women and girls, a persistent problem that has devastated communities across North America for decades.

Friday marks Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day in the US, while it is the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), otherwise known as Red Dress Day, in Canada.