For decades, after more than 1,000 unmarked graves were found in institutions where indigenous children were forced to attend, the phone rang.

Warning: The following story contains details of boarding schools that may be disturbing. The Indian boarding school survivor and family crisis hotline in Canada is available 24 hours a day at 1-866-925-4419.

On Saturday, hundreds of people attended a rally in the Canadian capital, demanding an independent investigation of the “boarding schools” that Aboriginal children have been forced to attend for decades. Hundreds of unmarked graves have been buried. Find In recent weeks.

“Pace of Truth and Justice” assembly On Parliament Hill in Ottawa, it is led by New Democratic Party lawmakers Charlie Angus and Mumirak Kakak representing the northern territories of Nunavut.

“We need to come together and tell federal agencies and Justin Trudeau that it is enough: Indigenous people need truth and justice,” Kakak wrote on Instagram before the event.

“This means a special prosecutor and a well-funded independent investigation, with international observers present, investigating Canadian crimes against indigenous peoples.”

. @MumilaaqQaqqaq Today led hundreds of people to march from Capitol Hill to the Prime Minister’s Office and then to the Department of Justice, calling for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate crimes against humanity committed in Canada’s residential “school” system. pic.twitter.com/dZOviBk4in

-International Peace Brigade-Canada (@PBIcanada) July 31, 2021

Since late May, more than 1,000 unmarked graves have been found on the grounds of former boarding schools across Canada. Renewal of intergenerational trauma and pain For aboriginal people.

Between the late 1800s and the 1990s, more than 150,000 Aboriginal, Métis and Inuit children were separated from their families and forced to attend boarding schools in order to integrate them into Canadian society.

The government-funded and church-run organization is Abuse of power It is believed that more than 4,000 children died during the attendance.

Aboriginal community leaders stated that there are undoubtedly more unmarked graves, and they call on the Canadian government and the Catholic Church, which runs most of the institutions, to help them fund the search for more unmarked graves.

They also asked Canada and the church Publish any file This can help identify any remains found in these locations.

A Federal Investigation Commission found that Canada had committed “cultural genocide” through its boarding school system and issued 94 calls to action in 2015 to address the enduring harm of this policy.

But so far, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations have hardly been completed-Canadian aboriginals and international observers have called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to do more.

The Royal Canadian Department of Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs told Al Jazeera in an email last month that the 2019 budget provides 28 million U.S. dollars (33.8 million U.S. dollars) over three years to support recommendations on school deaths .

Trudeau and his ministers also reiterated that they will continue to be committed to supporting the efforts of the indigenous communities.

Despite this, a group of UN experts last month urged Canada and the Catholic Church to conduct a “swift and thorough” investigation into the death, including forensic examination of the remains, and efforts to identify and register missing children.

They said at the time: “The justice department should conduct criminal investigations into all suspicious deaths and allegations of torture and sexual violence against children in boarding schools, and prosecute and sanction perpetrators and concealers who may still be alive.”

Aboriginal community leaders also called on the police to bring criminal charges against the Canadian government, churches, and individuals who committed crimes within the organization. Others encourage the International Criminal Court (ICC) Investigate.