Olympic Games: Stark Contrast to Poverty and Violence
Olympic Games: Stark Contrast to Poverty and Violence
Open Letter to Prime Minister Harper and Premier Campbell
February 16, 2010
The Honourable Minister Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa K1A 0A2
The Honourable Gordon Campbell
Premier of British Columbia
P.O. Box 9041
STN PROV GOVT
Victoria, B.C. V8W 9E1
Dear Sirs,
400,000 visitors will come to British Columbia from around the world for
the 2010 Olympics. We can show them beautiful mountains, new sports
venues, and a new subway line. We can show them the extraordinary
talents of Canadian athletes and artists.
Tragically, the splendour and expense of the Olympic Games stand in
stark contrast to the poverty and violence experienced by the most
marginalized women in this rich country.
Therefore, we cannot show our International visitors that you, as
leaders of the Government of Canada and the Government of British
Columbia, take seriously the human rights of the poorest and most
vulnerable women.
In fact, the poverty of women and the devastating violence experienced
by Aboriginal women and girls were identified as human rights failures
in need of urgent correction, when Canada's human rights performance was
scrutinized by countries around the world in 2009 at the United Nations
Human Rights Council. In 2008 the UN Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) urged Canada to deal with these
issues immediately.
But neither of your governments has taken effective action.
Poverty
Across the country, women and men living in poverty rely on welfare
incomes so low that the National Council of Welfare has called them
"cruel". The United Nations has repeatedly called on the Government of
Canada to establish minimum standards for social assistance, applicable
at the federal, provincial and territorial levels. British Columbia has
the highest poverty rate in the country, and social assistance rates -
for those who can qualify - are so low that recipients cannot both pay
rent and buy healthy food.
We know that for women, inadequate social assistance rates have severe
consequences. Women turn to survival sex and prostitution to get by;
they stay in or return to abusive relationships because they have no
other option; they live on the streets where they are vulnerable to rape
and sexual harassment.
Clearly, Canada's poorest women have been abandoned. It is obvious now
that you will spend endless amounts of money on the glitz and glamour of
the Olympic Games, but will not spend enough money to ensure that the
most vulnerable women and children have adequate food and housing.
Violence Against Aboriginal Women and Girls
Aboriginal women and girls make easy prey for violent men, because of
their poverty and their race, and because of the indifferent and
dismissive attitude of legal authorities. 520 cases of missing and
murdered Aboriginal women and girls have been documented. More than half
have been murdered or gone missing since 2000 and British Columbia has
the highest number. Many, if not most, of these disappearances and
murders were not promptly and thoroughly investigated by Canadian police
forces
We believe, along with many others, that the actual number of missing
and murdered Aboriginal women and girls is much higher, and Aboriginal
women and girls continue to go missing and be murdered in British
Columbia. We have asked repeatedly for a public inquiry and an action
plan.
But neither Canada nor British Columbia has responded to these urgent
requests.
As leaders, you have failed to act on the human rights of women in the
same way that you have failed to act on the rights of Aboriginal peoples
- by refusing to sign the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous People, canceling the Kelowna Accord, and deliberately
delaying for decades a just resolution of Indigenous land rights.
Without question, this is one of Canada's most serious human rights
failures. We condemn the policies of your governments that result in the
deaths of Aboriginal women and girls and the abandonment of women living
in poverty.
We call on you to immediately:
* Establish a strategy for eliminating poverty that will ensure that
women receive social assistance adequate to meet their needs;
* Establish a co-ordinated federal/provincial/ territorial action plan to
address violence against Aboriginal women and girls, that includes:
* thorough investigations of the cases of Aboriginal women and girls who
have gone missing or been murdered in recent decades;
* a full public inquiry or investigation into the systemic failures of
law enforcement agencies in order to remedy deficiencies and ensure that
Aboriginal women and girls will be protected equally by law enforcement
authorities;
* a specific and integrated plan for addressing the social and economic
conditions of Aboriginal women and girls, both on and off reserves,
including: poverty, poor health, inadequate housing, low
school-completion rates, high rates of child apprehension, low
employment rates, and low incomes.
On February 2, 2010, the BC CEDAW Group, with the endorsement of the
Union of BC Indian Chiefs and many other organizations, filed a report
with the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women on these issues. That report is attached.
Sincerely,
The B.C. CEDAW Group Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs
Aboriginal Women's Action Network
Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres, B.C. and Yukon Region
Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C.
Hospital Employees' Union
Justice for Girls
North Shore Women's Centre
The Poverty and Human Rights Centre
Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers and Caregivers Rights
Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter
Vancouver Women's Health Collective
West Coast Women's Legal Education and Action Fund
Women's Housing Equality Network
For further information:
Laura Holland, AWAN/B.C. CEDAW Group 778-385-3899
Shelagh Day, Poverty and Human Rights Centre/B.C. CEDAW Group
604-872-0750
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President, Union of BC Indian Chiefs
250-490-5314
An electronic copy of Nothing to Report available at:
http://www.ubcic.bc.ca/files/PDF/BCCEDAW_GroupShadowReport2010.pdf
Canada's report can be found at:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/docs/CEDAW.C.CAN.CO.7.Add.1.pdf
Open Letter to Prime Minister Harper and Premier Campbell
February 16, 2010
The Honourable Minister Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa K1A 0A2
The Honourable Gordon Campbell
Premier of British Columbia
P.O. Box 9041
STN PROV GOVT
Victoria, B.C. V8W 9E1
Dear Sirs,
400,000 visitors will come to British Columbia from around the world for
the 2010 Olympics. We can show them beautiful mountains, new sports
venues, and a new subway line. We can show them the extraordinary
talents of Canadian athletes and artists.
Tragically, the splendour and expense of the Olympic Games stand in
stark contrast to the poverty and violence experienced by the most
marginalized women in this rich country.
Therefore, we cannot show our International visitors that you, as
leaders of the Government of Canada and the Government of British
Columbia, take seriously the human rights of the poorest and most
vulnerable women.
In fact, the poverty of women and the devastating violence experienced
by Aboriginal women and girls were identified as human rights failures
in need of urgent correction, when Canada's human rights performance was
scrutinized by countries around the world in 2009 at the United Nations
Human Rights Council. In 2008 the UN Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) urged Canada to deal with these
issues immediately.
But neither of your governments has taken effective action.
Poverty
Across the country, women and men living in poverty rely on welfare
incomes so low that the National Council of Welfare has called them
"cruel". The United Nations has repeatedly called on the Government of
Canada to establish minimum standards for social assistance, applicable
at the federal, provincial and territorial levels. British Columbia has
the highest poverty rate in the country, and social assistance rates -
for those who can qualify - are so low that recipients cannot both pay
rent and buy healthy food.
We know that for women, inadequate social assistance rates have severe
consequences. Women turn to survival sex and prostitution to get by;
they stay in or return to abusive relationships because they have no
other option; they live on the streets where they are vulnerable to rape
and sexual harassment.
Clearly, Canada's poorest women have been abandoned. It is obvious now
that you will spend endless amounts of money on the glitz and glamour of
the Olympic Games, but will not spend enough money to ensure that the
most vulnerable women and children have adequate food and housing.
Violence Against Aboriginal Women and Girls
Aboriginal women and girls make easy prey for violent men, because of
their poverty and their race, and because of the indifferent and
dismissive attitude of legal authorities. 520 cases of missing and
murdered Aboriginal women and girls have been documented. More than half
have been murdered or gone missing since 2000 and British Columbia has
the highest number. Many, if not most, of these disappearances and
murders were not promptly and thoroughly investigated by Canadian police
forces
We believe, along with many others, that the actual number of missing
and murdered Aboriginal women and girls is much higher, and Aboriginal
women and girls continue to go missing and be murdered in British
Columbia. We have asked repeatedly for a public inquiry and an action
plan.
But neither Canada nor British Columbia has responded to these urgent
requests.
As leaders, you have failed to act on the human rights of women in the
same way that you have failed to act on the rights of Aboriginal peoples
- by refusing to sign the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous People, canceling the Kelowna Accord, and deliberately
delaying for decades a just resolution of Indigenous land rights.
Without question, this is one of Canada's most serious human rights
failures. We condemn the policies of your governments that result in the
deaths of Aboriginal women and girls and the abandonment of women living
in poverty.
We call on you to immediately:
* Establish a strategy for eliminating poverty that will ensure that
women receive social assistance adequate to meet their needs;
* Establish a co-ordinated federal/provincial/ territorial action plan to
address violence against Aboriginal women and girls, that includes:
* thorough investigations of the cases of Aboriginal women and girls who
have gone missing or been murdered in recent decades;
* a full public inquiry or investigation into the systemic failures of
law enforcement agencies in order to remedy deficiencies and ensure that
Aboriginal women and girls will be protected equally by law enforcement
authorities;
* a specific and integrated plan for addressing the social and economic
conditions of Aboriginal women and girls, both on and off reserves,
including: poverty, poor health, inadequate housing, low
school-completion rates, high rates of child apprehension, low
employment rates, and low incomes.
On February 2, 2010, the BC CEDAW Group, with the endorsement of the
Union of BC Indian Chiefs and many other organizations, filed a report
with the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women on these issues. That report is attached.
Sincerely,
The B.C. CEDAW Group Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs
Aboriginal Women's Action Network
Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres, B.C. and Yukon Region
Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C.
Hospital Employees' Union
Justice for Girls
North Shore Women's Centre
The Poverty and Human Rights Centre
Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers and Caregivers Rights
Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter
Vancouver Women's Health Collective
West Coast Women's Legal Education and Action Fund
Women's Housing Equality Network
For further information:
Laura Holland, AWAN/B.C. CEDAW Group 778-385-3899
Shelagh Day, Poverty and Human Rights Centre/B.C. CEDAW Group
604-872-0750
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President, Union of BC Indian Chiefs
250-490-5314
An electronic copy of Nothing to Report available at:
http://www.ubcic.bc.ca/files/PDF/BCCEDAW_GroupShadowReport2010.pdf
Canada's report can be found at:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/docs/CEDAW.C.CAN.CO.7.Add.1.pdf