Damning Report Reveals Canada's Indifference Toward Indigenous Women | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community
Over the course of two decades, dozens of human rights groups, First Nations advocates, and women's organizations have issued more than 700 recommendations on how to stem the Canadian crisis of violence against Indigenous women and girls.
But an "alarming" study (pdf) released Thursday shows that governments in Canada have repeatedly ignored those recommendations, lending credence to the claim that federal and provincial officials are dismissive of the risks Indigenous women face today.
Indigenous women are three times more likely to be victims of violence than non-Indigenous women, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The Legal Strategy Coalition on Violence Against Indigenous Women reviewed 58 reports dealing with aspects of violence and discrimination against Indigenous women and girls, including government studies, reports by international human rights bodies, and published research of Indigenous women’s organizations. They found that "only a few of more than 700 recommendations in these reports have ever been fully implemented."
Members of the coalition, which includes Amnesty International Canada, the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action, and the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, expressed outrage at the findings.
"How many Indigenous women and girls would have been found or would still be alive if governments had acted on more of these recommendations?" asked Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs. "This is yet another piece of irrefutable evidence that governments in Canada have breached their fundamental moral and legal responsibility to ensure the safety of all women, without discrimination."
For example, four separate reports have recommended the establishment of a national commission of inquiry to investigate the persistence of violence against Indigenous women and girls. But while all provinces and territories have endorsed the idea, the Canadian federal government has rejected such calls. In an interview with CBC at the end of last year, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said, in response to a question about whether the government was considering a national inquiry: "It isn’t really high on our radar, to be honest."
Friday
International Humanist and Ethical Union | European Parliament Intergroup calls for defence and promotion of non-religious rights
International Humanist and Ethical Union | European Parliament Intergroup calls for defence and promotion of non-religious rights
The Co-President of the European Parliamentary Intergroup on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Religious Tolerance has called for greater recognition of the rights of the non-religious under “freedom of religion or belief”, which are increasingly violated by many states.
the European Union’s “external actions” (internationally outside the EU). The letter was written with input from the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) and the European Humanist Federation (EHF) and cites the IHEU Freedom of Thought Report as a major source of evidence.
The letter to Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, was a response to growing hostility to the non-religious and an appeal to the EU to promote the rights of non-religious believers in the world.
The Intergroup Co-President Dennis de Jong MEP outlined the situation of non-religious believers, and wrote
The Co-President of the European Parliamentary Intergroup on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Religious Tolerance has called for greater recognition of the rights of the non-religious under “freedom of religion or belief”, which are increasingly violated by many states.
the European Union’s “external actions” (internationally outside the EU). The letter was written with input from the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) and the European Humanist Federation (EHF) and cites the IHEU Freedom of Thought Report as a major source of evidence.
The letter to Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, was a response to growing hostility to the non-religious and an appeal to the EU to promote the rights of non-religious believers in the world.
The Intergroup Co-President Dennis de Jong MEP outlined the situation of non-religious believers, and wrote
“It is imperative that more is done to fight the persecution of the non-religious believers in the world. Many of the issues that they face are similar to the issues that religious minorities face. Apostasy and blasphemy laws are used to marginalise and demonise both religious and non-religious minorities.”The letter (available as a PDF from the Intergroup website) further makes specific practical recommendations, including that the High Representative should look to implementing the 2013 EU Guidelines on Freedom of Religion or Belief, and working with the few organised groups representing non-religious persons including IHEU.
International Humanist and Ethical Union | Humanists appalled at the murder of secular activist and writer Avijit Roy
International Humanist and Ethical Union | Humanists appalled at the murder of secular activist and writer Avijit Roy
The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) is sickened and appalled to hear that secular blogger Avijit Roy has been murdered in Bangladesh a few hours ago.
“Abhijit Roy lives in America and so, it is not possible to kill him right now. He will be murdered when he comes back.”
These were the words of an Islamist activist referring to Avijit (or Abhijit) Roy early last year. The man making the threat, who is well-known to the authorities, has repeatedly and openly talked about wanting to see secular and freethought writers dead, and those under threat have complained that authorities have ignored his threats and incitement, despite his credible links to Islamist extremists and
similar murders taking place.
Tonight, IHEU joins with freethinkers and humanists from Bangladesh in calling for an end to this fatal appeasement of death threats by the authorities in Bangladesh.
Avijit Roy was a well-known writer, founder of the freethought blogging platform Mukto-Mona, which he described to IHEU as “an Internet congregation of freethinkers, rationalists, skeptics, atheists, and humanists of mainly Bengali and South Asian descent”. He had previously provided IHEU with analysis around the arrest and threats against “atheist bloggers” in Bangaldesh in 2013.
The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) is sickened and appalled to hear that secular blogger Avijit Roy has been murdered in Bangladesh a few hours ago.
“Abhijit Roy lives in America and so, it is not possible to kill him right now. He will be murdered when he comes back.”
These were the words of an Islamist activist referring to Avijit (or Abhijit) Roy early last year. The man making the threat, who is well-known to the authorities, has repeatedly and openly talked about wanting to see secular and freethought writers dead, and those under threat have complained that authorities have ignored his threats and incitement, despite his credible links to Islamist extremists and
similar murders taking place.
Tonight, IHEU joins with freethinkers and humanists from Bangladesh in calling for an end to this fatal appeasement of death threats by the authorities in Bangladesh.
Avijit Roy was a well-known writer, founder of the freethought blogging platform Mukto-Mona, which he described to IHEU as “an Internet congregation of freethinkers, rationalists, skeptics, atheists, and humanists of mainly Bengali and South Asian descent”. He had previously provided IHEU with analysis around the arrest and threats against “atheist bloggers” in Bangaldesh in 2013.
Monday
Ontario finally unveils revamped sex education curriculum | Toronto Star
Ontario finally unveils revamped sex education curriculum | Toronto Star
The Ontario government has unveiled the first update to the province’s sex education curriculum since the invention of Google in 1998. So antiquated was the existing syllabus that it did not even reflect the legalization of same-sex marriage in Canada more than a decade ago.
“We’re very committed to this,” Premier Kathleen Wynne told reporters after speaking to a rural Ontario municipal conference in Toronto.
Everything in the curriculum is “age appropriate” and “it’s done in a way kids can understand,” said Wynne, adding it’s important for kids as young as Grade 1 to learn about “different lifestyles and different family configurations.”
In the case of a girl with two dads, for example, “if her family is not reflected in the conversations . . . that’s going to be a problem” because the girl would feel left out.
Wynne, the first openly gay premier in Canadian history and a former education minister, has long championed a revised curriculum.
But a revamp planned for five years ago was scrapped by then premier Dalton McGuinty due an outcry by a vocal minority of social conservatives.
“It needs to be about kids feeling safe, feeling protected and feeling like they belong,” said Wynne. As first disclosed by the Star’s Martin Regg Cohn on Sunday, the modernized curriculum is designed to keep children safe from abuse by educating them
Thursday
As Vaccine Prices Soar, Big Pharma Profits | Stephen Cornish
As Vaccine Prices Soar, Big Pharma Profits | Stephen Cornish
Last week in Berlin more than 15 countries, along with the European Commission, the Gates Foundation and others, pledged over US$7.5 billion to buy vaccines for the children of the world's poorest countries for the next five years. Canada alone pledged $500 million to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. While this is great news for the millions of children living in the 73 countries supported by Gavi, there were other big winners: the pharmaceutical companies that benefit from the soaring vaccine prices they charge for vaccines worldwide.
One of the new vaccines Gavi is tasked with introducing is the pneumonia vaccine (PCV), which aims to combat a major childhood killer in developing countries. A dramatic 37 per cent (or US$2.8 billion) of the total amount raised for Gavi last week from taxpayers and private foundations will go to pay for just this one high-priced vaccine, which today is produced by only two pharmaceutical giants: GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer. The two companies have made more than US$19 billion in sales off of the vaccine since its launch, yet still charge developing countries unaffordable and unsustainable prices. It's important to point out that this vaccine was initially developed for children in wealthy countries, and its research and development costs have long been recovered.
On January 20, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) released the second edition of its vaccine pricing report, The Right Shot, which showed that in the poorest countries, the price to vaccinate a child is now a colossal 68 times more expensive than it was in 2001, with many parts of the world unable to afford new high-priced vaccines such as the one for pneumococcal disease. The pneumonia vaccine alone accounts for approximately 45 per cent of the full vaccination package price tag.
MSF supports the roll-out of new vaccines in developing countries, and is encouraged to see robust support to buy vaccines for these countries. But Canada should make sure that its taxpayer money is spent effectively, and is able to buy as many vaccines as possible. Canada should push pharmaceutical companies to further reduce the price of lifesaving vaccines, and a good place to start is by urging companies to make their research and production costs public.
Last week in Berlin more than 15 countries, along with the European Commission, the Gates Foundation and others, pledged over US$7.5 billion to buy vaccines for the children of the world's poorest countries for the next five years. Canada alone pledged $500 million to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. While this is great news for the millions of children living in the 73 countries supported by Gavi, there were other big winners: the pharmaceutical companies that benefit from the soaring vaccine prices they charge for vaccines worldwide.
One of the new vaccines Gavi is tasked with introducing is the pneumonia vaccine (PCV), which aims to combat a major childhood killer in developing countries. A dramatic 37 per cent (or US$2.8 billion) of the total amount raised for Gavi last week from taxpayers and private foundations will go to pay for just this one high-priced vaccine, which today is produced by only two pharmaceutical giants: GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer. The two companies have made more than US$19 billion in sales off of the vaccine since its launch, yet still charge developing countries unaffordable and unsustainable prices. It's important to point out that this vaccine was initially developed for children in wealthy countries, and its research and development costs have long been recovered.
On January 20, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) released the second edition of its vaccine pricing report, The Right Shot, which showed that in the poorest countries, the price to vaccinate a child is now a colossal 68 times more expensive than it was in 2001, with many parts of the world unable to afford new high-priced vaccines such as the one for pneumococcal disease. The pneumonia vaccine alone accounts for approximately 45 per cent of the full vaccination package price tag.
MSF supports the roll-out of new vaccines in developing countries, and is encouraged to see robust support to buy vaccines for these countries. But Canada should make sure that its taxpayer money is spent effectively, and is able to buy as many vaccines as possible. Canada should push pharmaceutical companies to further reduce the price of lifesaving vaccines, and a good place to start is by urging companies to make their research and production costs public.
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