|
  |
|
||||
 |
|
|
You are here: Home > About Amnesty > History > History of Amnesty International Canada |
||
Printer Friendly
History of Amnesty International History of Amnesty International Canada
 “You were my light in the darkness of my jail. You were my hope that pushed me to survive.” Antoinette Chahin, imprisoned and tortured in Lebanon, thanks Amnesty members for their support Other people thank Amnesty. >>  “I support Amnesty because it is a grassroots organization. People can contribute in many ways. I am a mother. I also work with people who are often not given a voice. I am sensitive to small voices and to injustice. Working with Amnesty is a way to give people a voice, to make the world a more equal place. The people I have met through Amnesty give me inspiration.” Seiko Watanabe, Amnesty Canada member, Abbotsford, B.C. Read more >>  
|
 |
|
History of Amnesty International Canada
Canadians have been active supporters of Amnesty International from its beginnings in the early 1960s. By 1973, Amnesty Canada groups had started in Sackville, Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, Guelph and Montreal. In May of that year, representatives from these groups formally established Amnesty International in Canada.Many Amnesty Canada members soon become involved in Amnesty’s global Urgent Action Network - a rapid response appeal system to protect people at risk of torture and other grave abuses. Today - because of our use of modern technology and our location in global time zones - Amnesty Canada’s 2,000 Urgent Action activists are one of the first lines of response whenever individuals anywhere in the world are at risk of grave harm. Find out more about our Urgent Action Network.
In 1978, Amnesty Canada reorganized into the Anglophone and Francophone branches. Canadians can join either branch or both, depending on your language preferences and interests. Amnesty Canada also opened an office in Toronto in 1981 and one in Vancouver in 1984. During 1986-1987, Amnesty Canada members participated in a coalition of 25 organizations that campaigned successfully to stop the return of the death penalty in Canada. Over the years Amnesty Canada has created a variety of opportunities for individual Canadians to use their special interests and skills to support the human rights of others.
One example is Amnesty Canada’s Medical Network, where over 100 physicians and other health workers, along with members of our Nurses Committee, send appeals on behalf of medical personnel suffering abuse in other countries. Other interest-based Amnesty networks have been set up for legal professionals, members of faith communities, trade unionists, educators, artists, and people interested in specific issues such as the abolition of the death penalty. Amnesty Canada is a good place to learn leadership skills - and use them to change the world! Amnesty members can become experts on human rights issues in a particular country or world region, and act as advisors to fellow members. Volunteer “fieldworkers” give public presentations on our work, support the activities of local members, and help organize special public events - such as speaker’s tours. During the past decade, the human rights of women have moved to the forefront of Amnesty’s work. Our Women’s Action Network was launched in 1992, and the work continues today on many fronts. Learn more.
Amnesty Canada launched its program for youth and student activists in 1987 - the first of its kind in Canada. There are now 350 groups in schools, colleges, universities and communities across the country. Learn more about our Youth and Student Program or the Human Rights College. Contact us at youth@amnesty.ca or click here to learn more about our our Youth and Student Program. As part of our global human rights program of action, Amnesty Canada members work on a variety of human rights concerns in Canada. We take action to protect refugees, defend the human rights of Indigenous peoples, hold Canadian corporations responsible for helping to safeguard human rights in their countries of operation, and call on the Canadian government to put human rights at the heart of Canadian foreign policy. Today, Amnesty Canada has more than 50,000 supporters in every part of the country. We are “ordinary” people from all walks of life, working together to accomplish extraordinary results through our activism and our financial contributions to Amnesty’s human rights work. >> Read firsthand accounts of how Amnesty members make a difference. >> Learn more about how you can become a member of Amnesty International Canada. >> Meet more Amnesty Canada members.
[ back to top ]
|
