Canada failing to protect indigenous women from violence – UN official
The UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous people says the Canadian government has repeatedly failed to stop decades of violence against First Nations women, and has called for a national inquiry.
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz said the Canadian government had taken some steps to protect aboriginal women, including funding 30 organizations with the aim of reducing violence against them, but that more must be done.
“That’s not enough. That’s not an adequate response,” she told The Guardian in New York.
The UN has been demanding that Canada hold an inquiry into violence against indigenous women for seven years. According to a report by the Royal Canadian Police released last year, violence against native women claimed 1,017 victims between 1980 and 2012, and 164 are still missing.