Men, women, and children gathered on Oct. 4 to take part in the annual Sisters in Spirit walk.
Starting at the Seniors’ Drop in Centre they made their way to the river via main street.
Prayers were said and flowers cast into the water representing the missing and murdered Indigenous women who go missing every year.
Once everyone gathered back at the Drop-In Centre and the food was blessed, participants had bread and stew.
Stephanie Harpe, who testified at the national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls spoke passionately about protecting yourself and your family in dangerous situation.
“Have conversations with your kids about telling strangers personal information,” Harpe started.
She pointed out that children will freely tell a stranger personal detail if they think that the stranger is their age.
Predators can disguise their voices and lure children and youth into giving up details like where they live or go to school.
Harpe continued saying every family should have a safe word, a safe place outside the home and one person outside the family who knows the safe word.
She also encourages having a bag packed.
If there is a domestic violence situation, the mother can say the safe word, then the child knows to grab the bag and get to the designated safe location.
The person at that location would be the one who knows the safe word as well.
“There’s a lot of scams out there. And human trafficking and child sexual exploitation is an all-time high right now, more than ever in history,” Harpe stated.
She warned that innocent looking websites can be the most dangerous.
Be sure to vet any website, especially if it for modeling or any talent agency directed towards children.
“Human Trafficking, child sexual exploitation and organ harvesting makes more money than drugs and arms alone,” she continued, warning the audience even men are not safe.
“We have to be very, very well aware that women are luring women, men are luring men. Men need to hold each other accountable,” Harpe said.
Harpe then spoke about the Buddy System where you send texts and photographs to someone to ensure that person both knows where you are and can provide police with your last known location if you do go missing.
Caucasian men and women are not exempt from the violence either.
The report for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls said white women may not disappear as quickly as Indigenous women but it does happen.
Harpe said everyone needs to learn how to fight back. She then demonstrated how to break out of zip ties and gave tips on what to do if locked in the trunk of a car.
Harpe stressed repeatedly about the need to remain vigilant about your surroundings; that anything could happen at any time.
She also encouraged there to be more female cab drivers and for women to avoid being alone in a cab or Uber with a male driver, especially after dark.
Harpe finished her talk with some music before she and her family left for Grande Prairie where she participated in a TED Talk on the same topic.
