Day of Mourning: remembering victims of the sex trade
- EFN Staff | August 14, 2014
It all started 15 years ago with a group of at-risk Saskatoon youth, who were inspired by the tragic death of one victim who lost her life while working in the sex trade. Since then, staff and youth have remained committed to honour and remember all such victims, those lost to our streets.
More than 100 names have been collected over the past 15 years and will be honoured this Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. at Pleasant Hill Park on 21st Street West and Avenue S South in Saskatoon
The Day of Mourning is made possible through the ongoing dedication of the volunteer Day of Mourning Youth Committee: "We are youth who have all been touched by the people whose lives have been lost - our sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers, aunts, uncles, friends. For us, EGADZ is a home, and over the past 15 years, we have shared our lives, dipping into each other's memories of pain and loss we have each experienced, helping one another make it through our days of pain, our days of mourning."
EGADZ and the Youth Committee organize this event every year to remember the victims, to support the families left behind, and to give strength back into the community. The Day of Mourning also helps to educate people about the root causes of the sex trade, while warning other high-risk youth about the very real dangers involved. Through the efforts of these committed young people, August 14 is officially recognized by the Government of Saskatchewan as the Day of Mourning to honour those who have lost their lives to murder, suicide, overdose, and disease related to the sex trade.
Over the past year, three more names have been added to the list of those who have died as a result of the sex trade.
The public is invited to join the Committee in marking the occasion with memories, prayers, blessings by Elders, music, and a candlelight vigil down 20th and 21st Streets, where the sex trade and sexual exploitation is most prolific and visible.
The ceremony features a reading of the victimsÂ’ names, and stories from "the street." The evening culminates in a communal meal of stories and memories over homemade soup and bannock.
"Together, we can create a feeling of hope, dignity, and self-respect out of these tragedies by affirming our commitment and concern for the victims, making sure that they and their families know they are part of a caring community."