MONTREAL — An online campaign to raise awareness about the large number missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada is gaining traction on social media.
READ MORE: By the numbers: Missing or murdered aboriginal women in Canada
Those concerned about the perceived lack of political response to the issue are posting a selfie with a three-word question for Prime Minister Stephen Harper:
“Am I next?”
Inspired by the Inuktitut term of endearment ain, Holly Jarrett launched the “Am I next?” campaign on Sept. 5 in order to build support for a public inquiry into the number of missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada.
Jarrett is the cousin of Loretta Saunders, a 26-year-old Inuit student from Halifax whose body was found in New Brunswick earlier this year.
READ MORE: No endorsement from police chiefs for aboriginal women inquiry
She was compelled to start the online campaign after the prime minister’s contention that the problem of missing and murdered aboriginal women wasn’t a “sociological phenomenon.”
Although Harper recently rejected appeals for a public inquiry, Jarrett is calling on the prime minister to change his mind and “reconsider his opposition.”
READ MORE: Reports contradict PM’s view on aboriginal women victims
Jarrett also started a petition at Change.org, calling for an inquiry, which had received more than 322,000 signatures at last count.
“Since the murder of my cousin Loretta Saunders,” Jarrett wrote on her Change.org blog,
“I’ve made it my mission to make as many Canadians aware of the real issues that aboriginal women face every day, the same issues affect the entire nation.”
Take a look at faces of the #AmINext campaign shared on social media:
http://instagram.com/p/sse6TyIJkq/
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