UN To Investigate Missing Aboriginal Women
December 13, 2011 No Comments
A UN inquiry was announced today investigating the huge number of Aboriginal women that have gone missing in Canada.
According to The Native Women’s Association of Canada more than 600 women have gone missing or been murdered since 1990 and this is a direct violation of the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
The UN is starting this inquiry after Canada’s government has “not lived up to its obligations under international human rights law to prevent, investigate and remedy violence against aboriginal women and girls.”
All I can say is, it’s about time.
The fact that hundreds of aboriginal women have been killed or gone missing is well-known to most Canadians and the fact that the government hasn’t been able to solve this problem or prevent it is disgraceful.
Hopefully Canada will be pushed to also reduce (or even eliminate) the “systemic discrimination and… the denial of basic economic and social rights” that caused these problems in the first place.
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women will conduct the inquiry and hopefully will be able to answer some questions for the missing women’s families and improve their lot for the future.
Contact the author here: mack@morningquickie.com
