(June 3, 2025 – Unceded Algonquin Territory, Ottawa) – On the sixth anniversary of the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) has released its 2025 Progress Report on Breathing Life into the Calls for Justice, focusing on the urgent and growing crisis of human trafficking impacting First Nations women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
“Six years have passed since the release of the National Inquiry’s Final Report, and yet our women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people continue to face disproportionate levels of violence,” said National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak. “This year’s Progress Report focuses on human trafficking, a form of violence that continues to affect lives across the country. It is happening in our communities, along highways, near development projects, and across the border. Our women, girls, and gender-diverse people are being targeted, exploited, and too often ignored by the systems meant to protect them.”
“The report shows that responses to trafficking remain underfunded and inconsistent across sectors and regions. Survivors and families are excluded from decision-making, and community-led solutions lack sustainable funding,” said National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak. “This crisis is rooted in colonialism, racism, and systemic discrimination. In 2019, the National Inquiry stated, ‘The investment into solving this crisis must be equal to or better than the over five hundred years of deficit that have preceded it.’ That has yet to happen. Long-term funding, federal coordination, and accountability from industries operating in and around our territories are critical to ensuring the safety and rights of First Nations women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.”
“I say this not just as Regional Chief, but as a Mi’kmaq man who cares deeply for our people. Every delay, every missed opportunity, costs lives,” added PEI Regional Chief Wendell LaBobe, AFN Portfolio Holder for MMIWG. “This year’s report highlights something far too many of us have witnessed firsthand: our women and girls are targeted, taken, and trafficked. These are not distant tragedies; these are our families. The longer we wait, the more we lose, we need to act now, not after another report, not after another family is left grieving. This progress update doesn’t just reflect where we are; it reminds us how far we still have to go. The stories shared in this report are real, and they clearly show that First Nations women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people are still at serious risk. We’ve seen some movement, yes, but it’s not fast enough, and it’s still insufficient. These are not just numbers or findings; these are people’s lives, and they’re calling on all of us to do more, right now.”
“We call on the Government of Canada to act now to ensure full implementation of the Calls for Justice, not only on human trafficking, but also policing, corrections, the impacts of resource extraction, and interjurisdictional and cross-border coordination,” said National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak. “We know what’s possible when governments and institutions act with political will. That same commitment is needed now for every First Nations woman, girl, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ person across this country.”
The report is available here: 2025 Progress Report on Breathing Life into the Calls for Justice: Thematic Analysis on Human Trafficking.
Support is available. The Hope for Wellness Help Line provides immediate mental health counseling and crisis intervention to all Indigenous people across Canada. This toll-free service is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To talk with someone, please call 1-855-242-3310. Phone and chat counselling is available in English and French. Phone counselling is also available in Cree, Ojibwe, and Inuktitut, upon request.
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The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is a national political and advocacy organization that works to advance the collective aspirations of First Nations individuals and communities across Canada on matters of national or international nature and concern.
For more information, please contact:
Cherish Francis
Press Secretary
National Chief’s Office
(343) 630-1372 (mobile)
[email protected]
Kelly Reid
Senior Communications Officer
Assembly of First Nations
(613) 292-0857 (mobile)
[email protected]