'They were loved': Women's Memorial March commemorated on Vancouver Island

A Women's Memorial March event takes place at Vancouver Island University on Feb. 14, 2022 (CTV News)

While people around the world celebrated those they love on Feb. 14, thousands of others were commemorating those they've lost in B.C.

Monday marked the 31st annual Women's Memorial March, with events being held across the country.

In Nanaimo, people of all ages visited Vancouver Island University to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

They walked the campus, highlighting how tragically common it is for violence against Indigenous people to go unsolved.

One of the organizers of the event said that for a long time, people didn't take it seriously when Indigenous women went missing due to harmful stereotypes.

Now, however, she's more optimistic about getting justice.

"We are on a movement towards getting things done," said Naomi Bailey, acting manager of Indigenous Protocol at Vancouver Island University.

"Organizations like this and the persistence of the families are forcing the RCMP to pay more attention to these terrible events when they take place," she said.

Bailey would like to see the province dedicate more funding to domestic violence programs and to programs that help men overcome trauma so they can lead lives void of violence.

On Monday, Carol Frank, the aunt of missing Nanaimo woman Lisa Marie Young, spoke at the event.

"They didn’t deserve what happened to them and we just want people to remember and know how much they were loved and never be forgotten," said Frank.

Young was last seen alive in Nanaimo two decades ago, and the family is offering a $50,000 reward to find her remains.

There were similar events held across the province – including one in Courtenay – honouring community resilience in the face of violence.

In Vancouver, the statue of controversial historical figure Gassy Jack was pulled down and covered in red paint during the memorial march.