Research on International Human Rights Remedies to Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women and Girls
CURA researchers did significant work with the UN CEDAW Committee regarding its priority recommendations to Canada on the failure to address missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls, as well as with governments and the House of Commons Committee on the Status of Women on follow-up to these recommendations. In 2008, the CEDAW committee noted that the Canadian government had failed to live up to its obligations, and reasserted this position again in 2010, stating: “The Committee considers that its recommendation (regarding missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls) has not been implemented and it requests the Canadian authorities to urgently provide further information on measures undertaken to address such concerns.”
Research also supported an intervention before the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry in British Columbia. Researchers participated in meetings with international rapporteurs on the issue of exclusion of Aboriginal women’s organizations from participation in the Commission of Inquiry and have conducted research into international avenues for addressing the issue of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls.
The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) and the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA) provided a thematic briefing to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on March 28, 2012 in Washington D.C. on the disappearances and murders of Aboriginal women and girls in British Columbia, Canada. The one-hour briefing included presentations by NWAC and FAFIA, response by representatives of Canada (Justice, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada), and questions from the Commissioners.
The Commissioners present at the briefing were: Tracy Robinson, Chair of the Commission and Rapporteur on the Rights of Women, Dinah Shelton, Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Rosemary Antoine, Rapporteur for Canada, and for Social and Economic Rights.
Watch the video of the Briefing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.