Canada committed to gender equality

In a message to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women being observed today Hogan-Rufelds said, “Gender-based violence affects us all. It destroys families, weakens the fabric of our society, and takes a heavy toll on our communities and our economy.” Unequal treatment is one of the main reasons, she said, women and girls were unable to realise their basic human rights, and sexual violence was a violation of their rights.

Canada is a strong supporter of the UN Security Council Resolutions on women, peace and security, she said and has implemented a National Action Plan.

The plan, she said, includes provisions to support programming to address the protection of women and girls in conflict, advocate for further implementation of international norms and standards on this issue in multilateral fora.

The plan also provides for personnel to respond appropriately when they are faced with situations where there are serious violations and abuses of human rights, including sexual violence.

The Canadian government, she said, “will be coming out with a strategy for Canada’s renewed engagement in UN peace operations, one component of which will be how to stamp out sexual exploitation and abuse by UN military, police and civilian peacekeepers.

In the Caribbean, under Canada’s Jurist project, she said sexual offences guidelines are being developed which will give clear directives on the procedures from the time a crime is reported until it is taken to trial.

The directives, she said, will help ensure that persons affected are treated with respect and dignity throughout the process and that their cases can be fast tracked The project is also developing a gender equality protocol for magistrates and judges, which will help them deal with their own implicit biases when it comes to issues of gender and justice.

At the local level, the Canadian government has supported, through grant funding, a number of projects by non-governmental organisations such the Women’s Institute for Alternative Development, Family Planning Association, Janus Consulting, the Teocah Dove Foundation, and the Lily Foundation and THETA (Transforming, Healing and Empowering Through Arts).

Canada will also fund a training workshop for judicial officers, lawyers, social workers, probation officers, police officers and other community representatives.

The workshop, billed for March 2017 is being led by the Caribbean Centre for Human Rights and the Coalition Against Domestic Violence, where the focus will be on advocating to hear the voices of children in proceedings affecting them.