Arming Sisters… not with weapons, but with the courage and knowledge to fight back.
Arming Sisters is a new crowdfunded project that aims to create a Traveling women’s self defense course for indigenous sisters across Turtle Island.
To donate to this project, please head over to indiegogo.com/projects/arming-sisters. Visit ArmingSisters.com to learn more.
The shocking rates of abuse against Indigenous women are well known in Canada and the United States.
In the United States: For every 1,000 indigenous women in a district, 330 of them will be assaulted. 1 in 3 will be raped. 2 in 5 will experience domestic violence. 3 in 5 will be physically assaulted.
In Canada: – Indigenous women are five times more likely than other women to die as the result of violence. About 75% of Aboriginal girls under 18 have been sexually abused. What’s more, approximately 60% of the 3000 women that have gone missing or been murdered in Canada since 1980, are Native. Keep in mind, Indigenous women only make up 3% of the Canadian population. (source: http://www.missingjustice.ca)
As shocking as these statistics are, they don’t do our sisters any justice.
In most cases, nor do the governments. More to the point, when a woman is being assaulted or raped–or, dare I say, kidnapped by a psychopath–and there are no other people around to intervene, it is up to that woman to take action. Her health–if not her life–depends on her and her alone.
Enter Arming Sisters, an upcoming project that will bring a 2-day compact women’s self defense course to the 20 most populated reservations across Turtle Island. That’s 10 stops in the United States and 10 stops in Canada.
At each encounter, “Awareness, mentality, and sharing stories of strength will cover the first two hours, followed by four hours of application”.
The goal of Arming Sisters, however, is not “temporary success.” They want to create a lasting organization, to continue to inform and empower Indigenous women in both countries.
In order to do that, Arming Sisters needs our support. As a starting point, they are attempting to raise $25,000 to cover the costs of the initial caravan across Turtle Island.
If you’d like to donate to the project, please head over to their website or go directly to their campaign at indiegogo: indiegogo.com/projects/arming-sisters