(OTTAWA) - December 6 is National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women in Canada. The Green Party of Canada calls on the Government of Canada to take decisive action to ensure the safety of women and girls in Canada.
“Recent stories in the media, including young women who took their lives as well as the shocking harassment of Parliamentarians and their staff clearly shows that violence against women is still one of Canada’s leading human-rights violations,” said Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada and Member of Parliament for Saanich – Gulf Islands. “However, the stories of many victims still continue to go unreported. As a society, we should have taken action to address this long ago.”
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women was instituted 23 years ago when 14 young women were shot at L’Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal. The Green Party reaffirms its support for the National Rose Campaign hosted by the YWCA, which commemorates the tragedy.
Violence against Women is an extremely serious problem affecting every community in Canada. Many victims do not report the crimes committed against them out of fear of reprisal, which makes it difficult to determine just how prevalent it is in Canada.
However, violence against women is especially prevalent in our most vulnerable populations. The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) has documented nearly 600 cases of missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada, and suspects there are many more that remain unknown.
The Green Party of Canada urges the Government of Canada to immediately recognize the recommendations of the United Nations Human Rights Council and the overwhelming majority of Canadians and call for a national inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women.
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For additional information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Julian Morelli
Director of Communications
Green Party of Canada
cell: (613) 614 4916
office: (613) 562 4916 (224)
[email protected]