human rights – Page 2

2011/10/042014/09/02

A guest of honour

On the eve of the annual vigil for missing and murdered native women, Susan Martin promised to bring a guest of honour to the event. Yesterday, she stood on the steps of Parliament Hill, holding her daughter’s urn.

Martin is a member of Families of Sisters in Spirit, a grassroots organization led by families of missing and murdered Aboriginal women.

“Today will be the last time I ever get to touch my child’s remains,” she told the group gathered yesterday for the sixth annual vigil to demand justice for their stolen loved ones.

Nine years ago, Martin’s 24-year-old daughter, Terrie Ann Dauphinais, was murdered in her home in Calgary. Her case remains unsolved.

Through Families of Sisters in Spirit, and the annual vigils they hold, Martin began to talk publicly about her daughter. This year, Martin invited supporters to a sacred ceremony on Victoria Island, where Algonquin elder Annie Smith-St-Georges of Kitigan Zibi First Nations would prepare the urn for burial by sealing it in a cedar box.

“I represent the victims, the mothers that don’t have their voice yet,” said Martin. “It’s not an easy task, so I do that for all of us because we are a family.”

Families of Sisters in Spirit has identified more than 500 aboriginal women who are missing or have been murdered. A 2009 report by Statistics Canada found that aboriginal women are almost three times more likely than non-Aboriginal women to report being a victim of a violent crime. Like others touched by these tragedies, Martin feels the federal government should be doing more.

“I get very angry when I see a new family member because they should not be going through what we’re going through – and we seem to be falling on deaf ears.”

Martin and other members of the group met with members of Parliament on Monday to speak about her experience.

“When [MPs] meet the families, they don’t forget them,” said Jennifer Lord of the Native Women’s Association of Canada. “And then that’s a connection that the families can hold on to.”

However, no one from the governing Conservatives showed up at the meeting, said Kristen Gilchrist, a volunteer for Families of Sisters in Spirit.

Irkar Beljaars, a volunteer who helped organize a similar vigil in Montreal, called on the government to create a national task force for missing and murdered native women. “We need our government to look at itself in the mirror and decide what’s right and what’s wrong,” Beljaars said. “What’s wrong is fighter jets and prisons. What’s right is taking care of women in this country.”

As for Martin, her resolve remains strong. “I’m letting go,” she said while holding her daughter’s urn for the final time. “But I’m going to stay positive. I’m still going to fight for justice. I’m still going to take this journey to stop other mothers and family members from feeling what we feel.”

What you can do:
Write to Stephen Harper and your Member of Parliament. Tell them that aboriginal women are loved and valued. Demand a national task force on missing and murdered aboriginal women.

Follow Families of Sisters in Spirit on their Facebook page. You can keep up-to-date on missing women in Canada and help bring them home safely.

Many photos of the vigil can be seen on the Union of National Employees’ Flickr site

2011/09/19

A national tragedy: our stolen sisters

September 19, 2011 – A march that started in Vancouver on June 21 reached Parliament Hill where activists demanded that the Harper government address a national tragedy. Walk for Justice has marched throughout the country to call attention to the approximately 4200 missing and murdered women. Walk for Justice activists were hosted by Families of Sisters in Spirit, a group that aims to inform the public about the impact of violence against native women.

Theresa Ducharme, formerly of Sisters in Spirit, noted that the number of missing and murdered women has only increased since she became involved with the group five years ago. In fact, since the march started in June, 36 more native women have gone missing.

“Rona Ambrose, a few weeks ago, said that she’s with us in spirit…. Well that’s nice! As our numbers grow of missing and murdered native women across this country, that’s all that’s going to be left if nothing is done,” said Irkar Beljaars of the Montreal Families of Sisters in Spirit. Beljarrs says their commitment to this issue is unwavering and called on Harper and his government to create a national task force on missing and murdered native women.

Several family members of missing and murdered women took part in the march. Gilbert Gauthier, of Winnipeg, was walking on behalf of Claudette Osborne-Tyo who has been missing since July 2008. Gauthier said the situation is especially hard on Claudette’s mother who wakes up every morning not knowing what has happened to her daughter. “[The police] say that just because she was a streetwalker or a prostitute that she decided to leave and go on her own – but that’s not true. She would always keep in touch with us every day,” he added.

Alaya McIvor of Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation (200 km northwest of Winnipeg, MB) took part in the rally to seek justice for the murder of her cousin, Roberta McIvor. “She was murdered 47 days ago on July 30th. She was decapitated on the reserve,” McIvor said. A 15-year-old and a 17-year-old were arrested, but McIvor and his family believes there are more individuals involved in the murder. Despite the demonstrably violent nature of the crime, the individuals arrested were only charged with manslaughter.

Walking for her younger sister was Sharon Johnson of Thunder Bay. Sandra K. Johnson was raped and murdered in 1992; her case remains unsolved. “We just had our seventh annual memorial walk in Thunder Bay,” Sharon said. She has received much support from local media and Lakehead University students; however there still are no leads on her sister’s case.

Families of Sisters in Spirit will be holding vigils across Canada on October 4th. For more information on how you can get involved, please visit the vigil’s Facebook event page. Families of Sisters in Spirit also issue alerts of missing women on their Facebook page.

To view pictures from the walk, please visit our Flickr site.

2011/08/28

Meet Camilla Vallejo

It’s being called the Chilean Winter: a protest movement not unlike recent events in the Middle East commonly referred to as the Arab Spring. Protesters have united to call on the government for better and more affordable education. The uprising recently led to a two-day nationwide shutdown, in which many public service employees joined the students in protest.

At the centre of the movement is Camila Vallejo, a 23-year-old student and activist. Her leadership has led the government to agree to substantially lower interest rates on student loans and invest over a trillion pesos ($2 billion dollars) into education.

The demonstrations she has organized have drawn hundreds of thousands of supporters. While a few demonstrations have turned violent, Vallejo is clear on their intent: “We don’t want violence, our fight is not versus the police or to destroy commercial shops … our fight is to recover the right to education.”

Vallejo is now receiving police protection, having recently received death threats. One of these came from a government official who was subsequently fired. Despite these threats, her fight has the support of 80 percent of her fellow citizens, according to a recent survey.

For more information on Camila and the uprising in Chile, please consult this article in the British paper The Guardian or this article in the French newspaper Le Monde.

Finally, a sincere word of thanks to our Union’s newest Chilean friend, Marcelo Moisan, who graciously allowed us to use the above picture for this article. Take a moment to visit Marcelo’s Flickr site, leave a comment or a thank you on his picture or add him as a Flickr contact: he has many great photos!

2011/08/07

International Day of the World’s Indigenous People

August 9, 2011 marks the eleventh commemoration of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People. This year’s theme is: Indigenous designs: celebrating stories and cultures, crafting our own future.

In conjunction with this day, and the important principle of self-determination, we wanted to promote the movement for tribal peoples and encourage you to join it. Survival International works with hundreds of tribal communities and organizations across the globe. They are “funded almost entirely by concerned members of the public and some foundations” and refuse national government funding “because governments are the main violators of tribal peoples’ rights”.

In keeping with their work of achieving recognition and respect of tribal people, they work to protect the lands of uncontacted tribes. Oil industries and illegal logging pose a serious threat to these tribes; namely, contact with outsiders could expose them to infectious diseases and wipe them out. It’s for this reason that uncontacted tribes should be left alone and their lands should be protected.

You can help by going to Survival International’s website. There, you can write a letter to President Garcia of Peru, President Rousseff of Brazil and Prime Minister Singh of India, urging them to protect uncontacted tribes. You can also donate to Survival International on their website.

In honour of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, Survival International has also compiled a list of nine tribal facts.

2011/06/30

Happy Canada Day!

Wishing everyone a joyous Canada Day!

While Diefenbaker’s most memorable quote is probably “Everyone is against me — except for the people!”, his remarks when presenting the Canadian Bill of Rights are especially poignant during this most patriotic day:

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.”

2011/06/23

Canadian Multiculturalism Day

Canadian Multiculturalism Day was established by Royal Proclamation in 2002. It recognizes that our country has been shaped by contributions of Canadians of various multicultural groups and communities. The Proclamation reads in part:

Whereas multiculturalism is a fundamental characteristic of the Canadian heritage;

Whereas Canadians of all backgrounds have made and continue to make valuable contributions to Canadian society;

Whereas it is considered appropriate that there be, in each year, a day to mark and celebrate those contributions and to recognize Canadian diversity; […]

Now know you that We, by and with the advice of Our Privy Council for Canada, do by this Our Proclamation declare June 27 of each year as “Canadian Multiculturalism Day”, a celebration of the contributions of Canada’s diverse people to Canadian society.

Take a moment today to celebrate the rich fabric of Canadian society; diversity in our country, as in our union, makes us stronger!

2011/06/18

National Aboriginal Day

This National Aboriginal Day, celebrate the rich contributions Aboriginal peoples have made to Canada!

From Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada:

In co-operation with national Aboriginal organizations, the Government of Canada chose June 21 for National Aboriginal Day because it is also the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. For generations, many Aboriginal peoples have celebrated their culture and heritage on or near this day. Today, Canada is proud to recognize the unique achievements of Aboriginal peoples – in fields a diverse as agriculture and the environment, to nation-building and the arts – with a national day of celebration.

National Aboriginal Day kicks off an 11-day celebration of Canadian culture and heritage: National Aboriginal Day (June 21), Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (June 24), Canadian Multiculturalism Day (June 27) and Canada Day (July 1).

2011/05/182014/04/24

World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development

“As a source of exchange, innovation and creativity, cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature. In this sense, it is the common heritage of humanity and should be recognized and affirmed for the benefit of present and future generations”

– From Article 1 of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, 2001

In 2002, the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed May 21 to be the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. The United Nations declares that this Day will “provide us with an opportunity to deepen understanding of the values of Cultural Diversity and to learn to ‘live together’ better.”

In honour of this day, UNESCO and the UN Alliance of Civilizations have launched a grassroots campaign called “Do One Thing for Diversity and Inclusion”, which aims to engage one million people across the globe to do one activity in support of diversity and inclusion.

For more information on the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, please consult the United Nations’ website.

2011/05/13

International Day Against Homophobia – May 17

May 17 is the International Day Against Homophobia. It is also the day on which the World Health Organization, in 1990, removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses. Over the last decades, the LGBT community and its allies have fought and won many battles towards equal rights. As a union, we are proud to stand with our LGBT brothers and sisters whenever their rights or dignity have been violated.

Despite the progress achieved in recent years, homophobia continues to be a key issue that negatively affects the LGBT community. It prevents many individuals from openly living their sexual orientation and contributes to the high suicide rate among LGBT individuals, especially among youth.

The International Day Against Homophobia provides an opportunity to work towards a prejudice-free world and celebrate our LGBT brothers and sisters’ contributions to society.

Please visit Fondation Emergence’s website where you will find a downloadable poster for your workplace.

If you wish to educate yourself further about LGBT realities, we highly recommend reading the Canadian Labour Congress’ booklet entitled To our Allies: Everything you ever wanted to know about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans issues.

Members working at Portage in the NCR are encouraged to wear purple (or a purple accessory) on May 17; the Bureau Régional d’Action Sida (leBRAS) and Jeunesse Idem will be distributing purple triangles at Place du Centre.

Do you know of something happening in your region? Email the National Component’s Communications Officer at communications@national-component.org.

2011/03/05

International Women's Day – March 8th, 2011

The first International Women’s Day was held in 1911; this year marks the 100th anniversary. Status of Women Canada writes the following regarding this year’s theme:

The theme for International Women’s Day and Week 2011 – Girls’ Rights Matter / Les droits des filles comptent – focuses on the importance of equality and access to opportunity for all girls and women throughout their lives. This theme encourages us to reflect on the situation of girls in Canada, and to look beyond women’s relative privilege domestically, to the international context. This theme also connects to the United Nations theme for International Women’s Day 2011: Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women. A girl who enjoys equality has a greater likelihood of being self-confident and aware of her own potential, and of being empowered to access the education, training and career opportunities that will contribute to her success in life.

For more information on International Women’s Day, please consult these links:

International Women’s Day 2011 – Status of Women Canada
Downloadable bilingual poster (PDF) – Status of Women Canada