'An Institutional Suicide Machine': Discrimination Against Federally Sentenced Aboriginal Women by the Correctional Service of Canada in Violation of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
Race/Ethnicity: Multidisciplinary Global Contexts, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2008
32 Pages Posted: 8 Jan 2013
Date Written: 2008
Abstract
This paper situates discriminatory treatment by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) against federally sentenced Aboriginal women in Canada in the international legal context, arguing that the CSC's treatment of Aboriginal women in federal prisons amounts to an infringement of Canada’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Despite numerous studies, inquiries, task force recommendations, and a domestic human rights complaint and resulting investigation into the treatment of Aboriginal women in custody, Canada is failing to live up to its international legal commitments by continuing to mistreat federally sentenced Aboriginal women with relative impunity. The present inquiry draws upon existing research and factual reports to reveal the sexist, racist and neocolonial nature of the discrimination experienced by federally sentenced Aboriginal women and considers the possibility of employing CEDAW as a tool draw international attention to discrimination against federally sentenced Aboriginal women in Canada.
Keywords: Correctional Service of Canada, United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, Aboriginal women, prison, discrimination
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