Canada

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(OTTAWA, ON, December 7, 2018) – In a report released today, the United Nations Committee Against Torture officially recognized that sterilizing Indigenous women without consent is a form of torture, and called on Canada to “ensure that all allegations of forced or coerced sterilization are impartially investigated, that the persons responsible are held accountable and that adequate redress is provided to the victims.”

The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), Amnesty International Canada, and Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights strongly support the recommendations of the UN Committee Against Torture, and call on Canada to:

“We are proud of our kids. They amaze me every day with their humour, their pride, and their strength. They should not have to fight again and again for basic justice that others in Canada take for granted. They should not have to overcome hunger, poverty, and poison in order to succeed.”  Judy Da Silva, Grassy Narrows, quoted today in The Toronto Star

One of the things that has stayed with me with from Amnesty’s first official research mission to Grassy  Narrows, almost 15 years ago, was the story shared by a young mother who had only recently learned about the dangers of mercury contamination of their river system. Throughout her pregnancy she had eaten a lot of fish caught in the local rivers because she knew that wild food is part of a healthy diet and that eating fish is part of what has always connected generation after generation to their culture. But when we spoke she was very worried about whether she might have inadvertently harmed her child.

Thanks you so much to those of you who sent letters and postcards to the President of Microsoft Canada urging the company to investigate whether child labour and other human rights abuses are found in their cobalt supply chain. 

Thanks to you and our supporters around the world Microsoft is beginning to bow to pressure. 

The company released a report in October 2018 setting out the steps they’ve taken to map their cobalt supply chain. While this is progress, Microsoft has a long way to go to meet our concerns and international standards.

The company has yet to tell us exactly how they’re identifying, preventing and addressing potential human rights abuses in their cobalt supply chain.

We’re halting our action for the moment, but we won’t let Microsoft rest until they follow up on their commitments, and there is real evidence of change on the ground in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Whether they face vitriolic harassment online, intimidation for demanding equal services or death threats for protecting their land, women around the world are increasingly under attack for peacefully advocating for human rights.

That’s why Amnesty International is focusing this year’s Write for Rights campaign on women who are fearlessly working to improve the lives of those living in vulnerable, marginalized communities.

Every year, around International Human Rights Day on December 10, Amnesty International supporters across the globe write millions of letters and take action for people whose rights are under attack, in what has become the world’s biggest human rights campaign.

Write for Rights participants send messages of solidarity to those fighting for human rights. They also send letters to government officials responsible for or complicit in human rights violations, urging them to take action.

On December 10, 2018, the world will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1948, this historic moment signalled the beginning of new era founded on respect for human dignity and the belief that all people worldwide should be able to exercise their rights in full equality. Seventy years later, the increasing impacts of climate change are undermining these values.

Preserving the vision of a shared future where all people can live in peace and dignity now requires decisive action by all governments. To remain true to their commitment to protect human rights for all, governments must urgently tackle the disastrous impacts of the fossil fuel industry on our planet; protect those speaking up for the rights of their communities and for their supporting ecosystems; promote gender equality; provide adequate support to vulnerable countries and impacted communities; and guarantee that projects implemented in the name of climate action do not reinforce existing abuses or create new ones.

On November 20, Amnesty International will appear before the United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT) in Geneva, highlighting ongoing and new concerns that Canada is falling short of its international obligations to prevent and address torture and ill-treatment.

While the Canadian government has taken a number of positive steps since its last review before the UN CAT in May 2012, there is still much to be done to strengthen laws, policies and other measures so as to fully implement the prohibition against torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

In a written submission and oral presentation to the Committee, Amnesty International is highlighting numerous concerns regarding Canada’s shortcomings with respect to torture and ill-treatment, including violence against Indigenous women and girls, coerced or forced sterilization of Indigenous women, policing of Indigenous protests, redress for survivors of torture, refugee protection, immigration detention and solitary confinement.