ONWA Calls for Action to Address Violence Against Indigenous Women

ONWA Calls for Action to Address Violence Against Indigenous Women

January 9, 2024

Thunder Bay, ON – The Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA) is saddened by the death of Jenna Ostberg, a young woman whose life was just beginning as she embraced her artistic skills and was “looked up to” for her style.

ONWA will be following the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) investigation into the death of Jenna Ostberg. From the current publicly released information, this appears to be another situation where continuing systemic failures have put Indigenous women’s lives at risk.

Indigenous women, like all people, have the fundamental right to be safe. Supporting and working alongside Indigenous women for over 50 years, ONWA knows all too well that many Indigenous women are not safe in their everyday lives. ONWA advocates for prevention-focused supports and services that ensure Indigenous women and their families are safe.

ONWA calls on the broader Thunder Bay community to stand in solidarity and work with Indigenous leadership to prevent the further loss of young Indigenous people’s lives.

ONWA encourages quick action through the development of an Indigenous Women’s Community Safety Plan for the City of Thunder Bay.

We must act now. It will take everyone, working together, to address the systemic issues that Indigenous women and their families continue to face and that play a role in their lives being cut too short.

ONWA recognizes that Indigenous women and girls are strong and resilient, despite the systemic, physical, and emotional violence that they have been subjected to and the multiple barriers they experience in their daily lives.

ONWA awaits the outcomes of the SIU investigation.

For more information and media inquiries, contact:
Andre Morriseau, Communications Manager
Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA)
Email: amorriseau@onwa.ca
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