Frustrated by the lack of concrete numbers, a doctoral student at Alberta鈥檚 University of Lethbridge has created a in Canada and the United States.
Annita Lucchesi, who is completing her PhD in the university鈥檚 Cultural, Social, and Political Thought program, adds names to the database daily in her quest to make it as complete as possible.
鈥淚nitially I just started out with basic categories,鈥� Lucchesi, who is a descendant of the Southern Cheyenne people of present-day Colorado and Wyoming, explained. 鈥淪o, when and where it happened, their name, what nation they belong to, whether they're missing or murdered.鈥�
Three years and 3,000 names later, Lucchesi feels like she鈥檚 barely scratched the surface.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to walk away with a sense of the trends in this data,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hree thousand sounds like a lot, and of course it is, but we estimate we're missing about 25,000 total.鈥�
The majority of victims, Lucchesi adds, come from Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia. She has documented 272 cases alone in the province where she is studying.
鈥淚t's so easy to dehumanize these women and to say, 鈥榃ell, she was a sex worker,鈥� or, 鈥榃ell, she was using drugs,鈥欌�� Lucchesi said. 鈥淭hose are not only harmful stereotypes, but even when they are true, they鈥檙e true in a larger context of incredible violence and lack of opportunity.鈥�
Lucchesi created the database for research purposes. Out of respect for the victims and their families, it is only available through request.
To Paul Tuccaro, whose sister Amber Tuccaro went missing near Edmonton in 2010, any project that could help bring closure to his family is welcome.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to get answers,鈥� he said from Fort Chipewyan in Northern Alberta. Amber鈥檚 body was found in 2012. 鈥淲e鈥檒l never give up on trying to find justice for my sister, trying to find out what happened.鈥�
For her part, Lucchesi hopes that something positive will come out of the tally.
鈥淭o see the grief that they go through, you know, there just aren鈥檛 words for it,鈥� she said of the victims鈥� families. 鈥淪o anything that I can help to alleviate that or help them navigate that, that's something I鈥檓 committed to.鈥�
With a report from CTV Edmonton鈥檚 Nahreman Issa
