Canada has committed a “grave violation” of the rights of Aboriginal women by failing to promptly and thoroughly investigate the high levels of violence they suffer, including disappearances and murders.
Aboriginal women and their families have experienced serious acts of violence that have significantly affected the right to life and personal security; the right to physical and mental integrity; and their health. Canada has thereby violated a number of articles of the Convention. These include the obligation to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women; the right to equal protection before the law and to an effective remedy; the obligation on States to combat and eliminate harmful stereotypes; and the right of Aboriginal women to enjoy adequate living conditions on and off reserves.
Read the full CEDAW press release
FAFIA and NWAC’s joint press release on the CEDAW report
Backgrounder on the CEDAW Inquiry