Sisters In Spirit was a research, education and policy initiative driven and led by Aboriginal women. The primary goal was to conduct research and raise awareness of the alarmingly high rates of violence against Aboriginal women and girls in Canada. The first phase of the SIS initiative, which began in 2005, conducted ongoing research that gathered statistical information on violence against Aboriginal women. The research team had developed a sophisticated database that included more than 200 variables. Our research proved that there are more than 582 missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls in this country. We continue to update our databases as well as track new cases every week. With this information, SIS investigated the root causes of violence against our mothers, daughters, sisters, aunties and grandmother. The SIS team worked closel