The Survivors Circle for Reproductive Justice announced the launch of the Healing Support Fund for survivors of forced, coerced, and imposed sterilization last month on November 27, 2024.
The Healing Support Fund will be available for all eligible First Nation, Metis, and Inuit survivors to access for a wide range of healing and wellness supports, including mental health and trauma counselling, cultural and land-based healing, and wraparound services.
Eligible survivors will be able to access the Healing Support Fund for Assisted Reproductive Health Technologies. They will be assisting with community-based and grassroots healing initiatives led by or involving eligible survivors.
There will be a national gathering in March of 2025 and they are working at building their programs through gatherings like this. This will be an opportunity for those who experienced forced, coerced and imposed sterilization to share what programs they think would be beneficial to survivors.
“We have opened up our registry. People can come in, you know, online and register if they’ve undergone these procedures in the past and we do hope that they do take the time to register and we want to have a big gathering, a national gathering in March and we want to bring together as many survivors as we can to come and talk about their experience,” said Claudette Dumont-Smith, Survivors Circle Board Co-Chair. “If they were sterilized, without their full knowledge, they can make applications. We will put them on our registry, they will be registered as a survivor, and then they can apply for funds in order to proceed with their healing.”
For now, they are building the registry and the women who register on the registry, will be invited to attend the National March Gathering event. It’s important to register to be added to the contact lists for future communications. The organization is new and they want to get the word out to all who have faced forced, coerced, and imposed sterilization.
“The Survivors Circle Healing Fund will create opportunities for survivors of forced sterilization to take charge of their bodies and wellness,” said Christa BigCanoe, Survivors Circle Board Co-Chair. “The fund will support survivors who have experienced systemic racism in unimaginable ways and will begin healing paths for the individual survivors and their families and communities.”
The Survivors Circle for Reproductive Justice has formed a national registry that will serve as a national database and archive which will hold survivors stories, experiences, and records. Registered members will be eligible to access the Healing Support Fund. Individual supports can be accessed for up to $10,000; Assisted Reproductive Technologies can be accessed for up to $30,000, and survivor-informed community initiatives can be accessed for up to $30,000.
“For many women who have experienced forced sterilization, they have felt silenced by their experience,” explained Nicole Rabbit, Survivors Circle Board member. “The Survivors Circle for Reproductive Justice is building a united voice where survivors can come forward, share their stories, feel heard, and empowered to address the trauma they may be carrying.”
The Survivors Circle for Reproductive Justice is an Indigenous-led national not-for-profit organization with a mission to advocate for reproductive justice for all First Nation, Inuit, and Metis peoples across Canada, build a national registry for survivors of forced, coerced, and imposed sterilization, and provide healing supports for survivors.
The history of forced, coerced, and imposed sterilization goes back to the 1890s, starting at infirmaries and Indian hospitals where they were built to control epidemics and to segregate Indigenous people from settler populations. Enforced sterilization was passed into law in 1928 with Alberta’s Sexual Sterilization Act. British Columbia followed a few years later, not repealing the law until 1979. Sterilization is also documented and was a reality in Residential schools in Canada and the U.S.
“We want women who have suffered this type of violence to come forward, and the Circle is there to assist them, and give them a hand, and help them heal,” said Claudette Dumont-Smith, Survivors Circle Board Co-Chair
If you are a survivor or know someone who is, contact the Survivors Circle for Reproductive Justice at 1-877-386-0750 or email info@reproductivejusticesurvivors.ca.
To learn more about the Survivors Circle for Reproductive Justice or to learn more about forced sterilization in Canada, visit: www.reproductivejusticesurvivors.ca.